Sitting Under Falling Stars
by Homely
Summary: Sequel to Giving it Away. ; Graduation is just around the corner. Sora and his friends must get through another year; but times are changing. With new classes and new faces, how will the teens react? Warning: Sexual themes, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, etc. YES, THE STORY IS BACK. I'M NOT MESSING WITH YOU. SoraxKairi RoxasxNamine XionxVanitas and others.
1. Sora: Pillow of Winds

**A/N: Hi guys, I'm sooo soo sorry that I disappeared for so long. My life has just completely turned upside down, I found that I didn't really have the time or motivation to write fanfiction anymore. But, I'm trying to get back into it. I hope that I still have some followers on this story, because I really wanna finish it.**

**If you haven't read We're So Far Away or Giving it Away, I suggest you check out those two stories first as this is the third in the 'trilogy'. Both of those stories had tons of great reviews, so you may enjoy them as much as my old readers did! I'm really hoping to get a good amount of readers on this story as well, even though it has been a long time since I've been active here. **

**I made some changes to this chapter so please reread it :) Thanks so much for sticking around to read this.**

:.:.:

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**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

When night comes down you lock the door  
The boot falls to the floor  
As darkness falls the waves roll by  
The seasons change  
The wind is warm.  
Now wakes the owl, now sleeps the swan  
Behold a dream, the dream is gone

September 10th

"What a lovely morning for a walk."

A cool, summer-ish breeze softly blew against Kairi's sun kissed skin.

"I agree." Sora grinned warmly. Hand in hand, the two made their way down the street, only one destination in mind; School.

It was strange to see them looking so… Their age. Wearing backpacks, holding hands, smiling as if there was nothing wrong in the world… Yes, to the naked eye Kairi and Sora appeared to be but average teenagers, idly living their simple lives day to day. This, however, was not the case.

A mother at sixteen and a father at seventeen, Kairi and Sora had been through hell and back the past year of their lives. From losing each other to losing a close friend, they had been through it all… But now, it seemed as though their lives could finally be at peace.

The year had just begun and so far things were sailing pretty smoothly.

"I wonder…" Kairi mused, head in the clouds. "I wonder if Amaya will go to the same high school as us?"

"Well, I guess that's up to us, isn't it?" Sora inquired.

"Hmm, true." She nodded in agreement. "But if ATW is anything like it is now, I'm not sure if I'll want her to…"

Sora chuckled with his natural good nature. "Wiser words have never been spoken. If I can prevent Amaya from being put through half as much crap as we have, then hell, I'll do anything!"

She giggled. "Same here." Kairi's thoughts seemed adrift for a moment, before she suddenly inquired "Say, have you talked to Roxas about Namine lately?"

"Nopers. Every time I bring her up he just gets all emotional and changes the topic. Sometimes he gets upset, sometimes he gets pissy, sometimes he rages. It all depends on the day I guess."

"That is very odd, I must say." The red head commented. "I wonder what's going on with those two?"

* * *

With her head hanging low in what appeared to be shame, a little blonde Namine walked towards Ansem the Wise High alone. Although it had been well over two weeks since the little "split" Roxas and her were on had begun, their problems did not cease to exist… Where all of this came from, neither of them could figure it out. Namine often pondered this. She wondered, how did this happen? _How did we go from so close and so in love, to either not speaking or at each other's throats? A lifetime of friendship and Roxas and I barely argued, let alone fought… So why is it now we just can't seem to get along?_

A heavy sigh escaped her cherry pink lips as she lazily opened the door and let herself in to the familiar halls of ATW. She wished that she was with Roxas. She wanted to walk through the hallway and hold his hand. She wanted to meet him at his locker between classes and always kiss him goodbye, and feel his safe arms around her when she was feeling distressed. Thinking about it always made her want to cry.

_What will it take? Why can't things just go back to the way they were before?_

She shook her head and let out a huff of frustration, annoyed with the situation entirely. She continued her way down the hall towards her homeroom, which this semester, was English. As much as she didn`t feel like being in school, she was at least thankful that she had enjoyable classes. As she turned the corner, she recieved a text. It was a bit blurry for her to read considering she had forgot to put in her contacts in a rush to get to school, but she could still read clearly that it was from Roxas.

_Good luck with your homeroom._

Namine didn`t even smile or think twice about replying, just closed her phone and kept on walking with her eyes glued to the tiled floor. Maybe it wasn`t the best idea, considering about two moments later, she classicly collided bodies with another person. Much to her surprise, it was none other than the same person who had just texted her phone.

She looked at him with wide, shocked eyes, and he looked down at her with a very strange look. He half smiled at her, and said "I`m sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"T-Thats okay." Namine stammered, confused. The two locked eyes for a moment and Namine couldn`t help but notice a slight change in them, a look he had never given her before. It was almost as if he didn`t even know who she was.

"Well I don't wanna be late." He said with a somewhat plesant look. "Have a good one."

And he continued his way down the hall.

_Why did he look at me like that? _Namine wondered, staring after him as he walked down the hallway. _It was like I was just a stranger... Does he even care if we're togehter at all anymore?_

* * *

"Ugh." With a grunt, the tiny dark haired girl whipped her paintbrush across the canvas, sending splatters of paint over a messy looking abstract. The mixture of brown, orange and yellow all seemed to blend together, topped off with streaks of red. Xion stopped, took a step back, and observed her work.

"For fucks sake." She said aloud. "I hate it."

Frustrated, Xion decided that she would leave her painting for now, and potentially return to it later in the period. Until then, she would sit at her table and idly listen to music whilst allowing her thoughts to wander.

The previous week of school had been the first of the year, and the first couple of days were tough for Xion. She could barely keep Riku out of her mind; it drove her wild. She would be sitting in class and suddenly feel the dire need to burst out in tears. So, Xion began to shove Riku's memory to the back of her head. Each time it would arise, she would think about something else. Although this was an unhealthy method, Xion could not think of any other way to put what had happened behind her.

She had wanted to think about him in art class that day, but she couldn't bare it. It was just too overwhelming for school. So, she rested her head on the table and decided to nap.

Things will get better. She told herself. I know they will.

A long sigh escaped her lips. At least I hope so…


	2. Roxas: White Satin

**A/N: It's back... I am SO sorry for the year long wait, guys. I hope that I still have some readers left who will check out this latest chapter :) I promise that I'm back, and I will continue updating this story. Expect a chapter every month! Please review and let me know what you think.**

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**Sitt****ing . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

Gazing at people  
Some hand in hand  
Just what I'm going through  
They can't understand  
Some try to tell me  
Thoughts they cannot defend  
Just what you want to be  
You will be in the end

Roxas had never really been one to act like an asshole.

He was always that nice guy, that friendly guy, that helpful guy. But as of recently, things had been changing; changes that even Roxas could notice himself.

As he sat in his class watching the clock tick he found himself deep in such thoughts.

_What am I doing? _He asked himself with distress. _Why am I acting like this? _He reviewed in his mind how he had treated the girl he loved within the past few weeks. He recalled the arguments, the frustration, the tears she cried and those he hid from her when he was alone at night.

Ever since Namine had confessed what happened with Olette, Roxas just wasn't able to forgive her. But inside he knew he was acting totally out of line. He was never arrogant or stubborn.

_I was never such an asshole... Ugh what is wrong with me? _Just as he finished that thought, the bell rang loudly in his ear and he instantly jumped out of his day dream and his desk.

Flustered, Roxas left the classroom in a hurry to meet Sora.

* * *

The cafeteria wasn't much different than it was last year.

In fact it was exactly the goddamn same, and Xion dreaded it. Unfortunately out of all her friends, she was the only one who hated eating in the cafeteria.

"Why can't we eat in a stairwell or something?" She huffed to Sora as the two of them approached the caf where they could already see Namine and Kairi sitting. "Somewhere we can have privacy and won't be surrounded by a bunch of assholes we don't even like."

"Hey I like some people!" Sora said optimistically as he brofisted some random football player as he passed him. Xion rolled her eyes.

"God I can't wait til this day is over."

"Oh, shit." Sora said looking at his phone. "I'm supposed to be meeting Roxas. I'll say hey to Kai and Nam then I'll go grab him." They walked up to the table and Sora pecked Kairi on the cheek. "I'm just gunna go meet Roxas really quick, I'll be right back though, okay babe?"

"Sure baby." Kairi smiled sweetly and gave him another small kiss. "Hurry back though!"

"I always do." He winked and ran off. Xion sat down and joined the two girls. She noticed that Namine was hanging her head in shame.

"What's up Namine?" Xion inquired. "You look like your day is going almost as bad as mine."

"Merrrrr." The sad looking blonde moaned. "Its just Roxas."

"I can't believe that's still going on." Kairi stated. "I'm starting to get irritated with you two."

"Yeah what's the deal man?" Xion queried. "He's still butthurt about the whole Olette thing?"

"Unfortunutely..." Namine said. "Every time we try to talk we end up mad at each other. Usually he's the one getting mad at me, but sometimes I get more mad at him for initially being mad at me. It's just retarded."

"Completely and utterly retarded." Xion nodded in agreement.

"Yep." Kairi said. "Honestly I think Roxas is being completely immature about this. I mean you hardly did anything wrong... I guess he's just hung up on the fact that you lied to him."

"That's exactly what it is. Every time we fight he brings up that he thinks he can't trust me anymore." Namine sighed. "And then he confuses me by texting me and telling me to have a good day, and then when I bump into him in the hallway he acts like a total stranger. It's really messing with my head. Like, I don't even know what I'm supposed to think or do in this situation."

"I think he's just being a dick. It's not really like Roxas to act like this, sometimes I wonder if he's doing it on purpose to fuck with you." Xion said.

"No, I know Roxas." Kairi said. "He isn't doing it on purpose. I think he's just really confused himself. There's probably more things going on with him than we can see."

Just as Namine was about to reply, she looked across the caferia and sure enough through the windows to the hallway she could see none other than Roxas walking. He was looking fairly peppy, and he wasn't with Sora.

"I thought Sora was going to meet Roxas?" Namine inquired, gesturing for the other girls to look where she was looking. They all laid eyes on Roxas as he continued walking down the hall.

"Yeah..." Xion mused. "Maybe Sora got lost so Roxas split."

"I don't think Sora would get lost." Kairi stated. "He can be dumb sometimes but he knows this school like the back of his hand. Nevertheless I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation." They all watched as Roxas exited the hallway though a door to outside. Less than a minute later, Sora walked up behind them, with... Roxas?

"Whoa." Xion said, sounding a bit freaked out. "Roxas how'd you do that man?"

"Do what?" Roxas asked, confused.

"We all literally JUST saw you walk out over there. And now you're right here. With Sora." Kairi said. "No joke."

"That's impossible." Sora laughed. "I went and met Roxas out the fountain and we just got here. How could Roxas have been over there by himself? Silly girls."

"I'm being serious!" Kairi said. "A guy who looked EXACTLY like Roxas just walked over there."

"That's so weird." Xion chuckled. "I guess from afar he just looks a lot like Roxas."

"Must be." Roxas said as he took a seat next to Xion. He averted Namine's blue orbs which kept on glancing from him to the table. She was feeling extremely awkward and was starting to get worked up, but she tried her very best to hide that she was upset.

The rest of the lunch period went on as it normally would. They talked, laughed, and ate some mediocre cafeteria food until it was time to go back to class. Namine and Roxas hadn't said a word to each other the entire period. In fact, neither of them had really been talking to anyone at all. The others noticed but decided not to touch it.

They all said their goodbyes and headed to their next classes.

* * *

It was almost fifth period and Xion's day had still not gotten any better. She itched in her seat impatiently for the bell to ring. She had been trying very hard all day to avoid this, but she finally admitted it to herself; she needed a damn cigarette. With the stress of Riku, school and everything else, quitting really was just too hard. She needed _something _to calm her nerves.

So she said fuck it, and when the bell for break rang she walked right out to the smokers pit, a place she had never been too familiar with.

Outside by the gate (the smokers pit) stood a decent amount of people. This was, afterall, where all the smokers went. She didn't see anybody that she wanted to speak with. But of course as she walked up and lit her smoke she had already caught someones attention.

"Yo, Xion!" It was Axel, an old friend of Riku's who used to play in the band with him. The last time Xion had seen him, it was at Riku's grave.

"Hey." She said dully. She wasn't too excited to talk to him.

"How's it going?" He asked nicely.

"Meh." She replied. "You?"

He shrugged casually. "Bout the same." Axel pulled out a pack of Marlboros and lit one up. "Might seem like a bit of a bad time, but how have you been holding up?"

"Alright I guess. I mean I'm still alive."

He chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it."

"Yep."

Axel awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah man. I'm not too sure where you stand at this point Xion..."

For a split second, Xion thought that Axel was actually about to hit on her. _No, there's no way. He better not say one flirtacious word to me or I'll kick him._

"But, well I've been working on a song."

_Okay, good._

"It's... It's about Riku."

Xion's ears suddenly perked up. "A song about Riku?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Me and the guys have been working pretty hard on it, in memory y'know? The band is never gunna be the same without him, but we all know very well that Riku never would have wanted us to stop playing. I just wanted to ask, if you're comfortable with it, if you'd maybe wanna come hear us play."

Xion thought for a moment, before nodding with a half smirk. "Yeah, sure, Axel. I'd really like that. It hasn't gotten any easier, but I'm slowly learning to cope. I'll come hear you guys play but if I get too emotional I may leave."

"Oh, of course! If we make you upset at any point in time you're free to leave, or we can simply stop playing. I just really think that my man would want his girl to hear his band continue playing."

"He would." She smiled and took a puff off her smoke. "Thanks, Axel."

"Anytime."

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Please review!


	3. Xion: It's Been a While

**A/N: Yup another chapter already :) enjoy! And please review! :)**

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**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

The final bell signalling the end of the day had finally rung, and Kairi was released from her classroom. She exhaled a very long, exhauted sigh. _I just can't wait to go home and relax. _She thought, before immediately realizing that the last thing she was going to be doing was relaxing.

She met up with Sora and their locker. "Have a good day hun?" Kairi inquired as Sora took his last book out of the locker and closed it.

"Yeah it was decent. Yourself?" He kissed her on the lips and they began to make their way towards the front of the school.

"Tiring. Aaaand now we have a baby to tend to."

"Yeeeeep." Sora groaned, the chuckled a little. "I guess we still aren't really used to this whole parenting thing, are we?"

"I guess not." She giggled. "It's just so weird being at school all day, and knowing that we can't just go home and watch tv."

"We have responsibility now..."

"Real responsibility we can't back out of."

They both stopped mid-hallway and exchanged a look that could only read _Oh god, this year is going to be interesting._

* * *

When Xion approached Axel's house she could already here the music blaring. She looked nervous as she approached the side door which lead to the garage; she didn't really know Riku's band or any of its memebers too well. She knew that they were cool guys, she was just nervous about being around them. She hoped that it wouldn't be awkward.

She entered the garage and stood there for a few moments watching them play before Axel finally noticed she was there. They all stopped playing and waved.

"Hey Xion!" Axel said happily. "Glad you could make it!"

She smiled. "Yeah me too."

"You've met the guys, right?" He asked gesturing towards the other two who smiled and waved.

"Not exactly, but I've seen you guys play." She answered.

"Well this guy over here on the drums is Terra if ya don't remember." Axel introduced. Terra was an older looking, more built guy with brown hair. He had a really serious expression a lot of the time, Xion remembered noticing that when she saw Riku's band a while back. "And this tool is Demyx." The tall redhead gestured towards a blonde haired skinny guy who was the lead guitarist. He had a goofy smile. Axel straightened his shoulders proudly. "And I'm Axel and epic bass player AND new vocalist."

"Oh, whatever." Terra laughed.

"Nice to actually meet you guys." Xion grinned.

"You too miss!" Demyx said excitedly. "Now, ready to hear us play? We've really improved since the last time you saw us. We haven't stopped practising for a day."

"Right on dude." Xion laughed. "Well yeah, I'm ready whenever you guys are. I'll just sit over here on this crate thing." She sat down on a milk crate and relaxed a bit. She was feeling a lot less nervous now that the ice had been broken with everyone.

"Alright dudes, let's play. Start off with Riku's song." Axel looked at Xion. "The song is kinda supposed to be written from Riku's point of view... We all worked on the lyrics together. I think we kinda knew Riku in a different way than a lot of people, because we really could see his soul y'know... I really felt a deep insight into Riku through his music and his lyrics. I could always tell when he had something on his mind."

"Axel, are you high?" Terra asked. "Seriously dude. How high?"

"A little high. Let's just play now." The music started and Xion could feel chills run up her spine.

I_t's been awhile  
Since I could hold my head up high  
And it's been awhile  
Since I first saw you  
And it's been awhile  
Since I could stand on my own two feet again  
And it's been awhile  
Since I could call you_

_And everything I can't remember  
As fucked up as it all may seem  
The consequences that I've rendered  
I've stretched myself beyond my means_

_And it's been awhile  
Since I can say that I wasn't addicted  
And it's been awhile  
Since I can say I love myself as well  
And it's been awhile  
Since I've gone and fucked things up just like I always do  
And it's been awhile  
But all that shit seems to disappear when I'm with you_

_And everything I can't remember  
As fucked up as it all may seem  
The consequences that I've rendered  
I've gone and fucked things up again  
Why must I feel this way?  
Just make this go away  
Just one more peaceful day!_

_And it's been awhile  
Since I could look at myself straight  
And it's been awhile  
Since I said I'm sorry_

_And it's been awhile  
Since I've seen the way the candles light your face  
And it's been awhile  
But I can still remember just the way you taste_

_And everything I can't remember  
As fucked up as it all may seem to be I know it's me  
I cannot blame this on my father  
He did the best he could for me_

_And it's been awhile  
Since I could hold my head up high  
And it's been awhile  
Since I said I'm sorry_

**(A/N: Credit to Staind for these lyrics- Check out It's Been a While by Staind)**

By the time the song had ended Xion was practically in tears.

"Xion are you okay?" Axel asked frantically. "Were the lyrics just way too epicly deep and meaningful!"

"Axel." Terra glared at him.

"I'm fine guys." Xion said, wiping her few tears with the sleeve of her shirt. "That was just really beautiful. That moved me, seriously."

"Awesome!" Demyx shouted. "That's so rad! You're actually the first one who's heard us play it."

"Really?" She inquired, surprised. "Well it was really good guys. Sad... But, good."

"Yeah we all kinda get emotional playing this song..." Terra said. "Out of all of our songs, this is the one that I think has the most sincere meaning behind it."

"Oh god I'm gunna start tearing up too!" Axel moaned. "Somebody get me a cigarette!"

"You have your own smokes, Ax." Demyx stated.

"Maaaan that's so far! I left them in my car. Not cool. Demyx spot me a smoke til later."

"No way dude! There are mine. I don't even like the shitty brand you buy."

"SHITTY? You think MY cigarettes are shitty? You pay like 8 bucks for a pack, I pay 12." Axel stated very proudly. Xion couldn't help but giggle at their silly argument. Terra simply rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

* * *

It was around 11 o'clock pm and Namine was thinking about going to bed. She felt like she was way too depressed to be awake. She put on her PJ's and laid down on her bed.

A few minutes of silence in darkness passed before the room was dully lit up by Namine's cellphone. She heard a small vibrate that indicated she had recieved a text. Without hesitating she grabbed her phone off her bedside table and read who it was from.

And surprisingly enough, it was Roxas.

_You up? _He asked. Namine's heart began to race as she contemplated whether she would answer or not. Curious and anxious, she decided to reply.

_Yeah, what's up? _She texted back with sweaty palms. She nervously awaited his response.

_Can you talk?_

The confused blonde didn't really know what to think. Her heart began to beat faster and faster and suddenly Namine wasn't so sleepy anymore. She texted Roxas back saying _I guess so._

Less than a minute passed and her phone started to ring, startling her. She answered it frantically.

"H-Hello?"

"Hey, Namine." Roxas' familiar voice sounded calmly on the other end.

"R-Roxas..." She stammered. "What's going on..."

He hesitated for a moment and she could hear his nervous breathing on the other end. "I uh, I dunno. I guess I just needed to call you."

"What for?"

"Because..." There was a long pause where nobody said any words. Namine's chest was racing as she awaited what he was going to say next. "I uh, I wanted to know how your day was at school..."

_That's all? _She thought sadly. "O-Oh... It was okay. You?"

"Alright I guess. It's so weird being back in school eh..."

"Yeah it all feels pretty bizzare."

"I agree."

There was another short moment of silence before Namine spoke up. "Is that all you wanted to talk about, Roxas?"

"Not exactly." He admitted sounding very nervous. "Was wondering if you maybe wanted to meet up and talk in person..."

"I was just about to go to bed..."

"Please? Just for a bit."

She sighed. "Alright, fine. Where should I meet you?"

"Does the park work?"

"Yeah, that works."

"Leave in ten minutes?" Roxas' voice sounded very eager. Namine could tell that he was having anxiety.

She smiled a little. "See you then."

* * *

PLEASE review :)


	4. Namine: Let Love Bleed Red

**A/N: Hey everyone, thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate the support. Your thoughts inspire me :') so here's another chapter! It's short, but there will be more very soon. Please review!**

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**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

_Is it naive to make plans that seem so far away?_

_There's a reason I feel this way,_  
_You're sleeping alone,_  
_I'm awake_  
_When you dream of me tonight, am I close to where you are?_

_Lay me down,_  
_And tell me everything will be alright._

The autumn air felt cooler than normal as Namine walked down the her street towards the park. It was only a five minute walk, which was convenient. The sky was merky and the crickets were chirping; it was peaceful, in a sort of eery way. When she entered the park, she could see Roxas sitting on a bench nearby. She held her breath as she approached him.

He stood up when he noticed her pressence. "Oh, hey." he said somewhat awkwardly. Namine blushed.

"Hello."

Roxas awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he sat back down on the bench and signalled for her to join him, and she did so. There were a few moments of silence before Roxas finally spoke, anxiety lacing his nervous voice. "Listen..."

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"I uh, I'm sorry, Namine." He confessed and could already feel the weight lifting off his shoulders. "For everything. I've been a complete asshole to you for the past few weeks. It's been wrong of me. I guess, I dunno, there's no excuse for my behaviour but I've been extremely frustrated for a while... Just with everything. Life just doesn't seem to be going so well at the moment, y'know?"

Namine's eyes lingered on the grass below her feet for a good minute before she responded. "I know. Things haven't been good for me either, they haven't been good for anyone. We all lost a good friend... Everyone has been impacted and changed by this."

"I know, Nam. I haven't felt the same since that whole incident. And I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you because I know you are shook as well, especially with the whole Seifer thing..."

"The whole thing really did rock my nerves. I have such a guilty conscious. I can't stop feeling like somehow this is all my fault." Tears began to form in her eyes, but Roxas wiped them away with his thumb. She looked up at him with glossy blue eyes.

"You can't blame yourself." He said sincerely. "It wasn't your fault Namine. Seifer... Is an evil guy. He was an evil guy to you and he was an evil guy to everybody else. It was his choice to pull the trigger that night, and he's going to pay for it the rest of his life. You'll never have to be victim to him again... I promise you."

At that point Namine couldn't help but burst into tears. Roxas put his arm around her shoulder and held her close to him. "I dunno, Roxas."

"I know it's all hard to grasp. I'm still coming to terms with it myself."

"I-I know. It's just so difficult. Out of everyone who was there that night, I-"

"You knew him the most, I know. But that doesn't make it your fault. You hadn't been with him for a very long time prior to that."

"You're right." Namine sighed sadly and dried some of her tears with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm just so depressed, and I've been so lonely without you too."

Roxas started to tear up a bit as well. He held her close to him. "I'm so fucking sorry. Is there any way I could ever make it up to you? I know I can never take away the nights you felt alone but..."

"I just want to be with you again, Roxas." She confessed. "I really do. I've been frustrated with you because you've been frustrated with me, but I've also been frustrated with myself. I'm sorry for telling Olette."

"I wasn't upset that you told her, more so that you kept it from me... I really overreacted. I want to be with you too... I think it's pretty obvious that I love you... I mean, I've loved you for years."

She smiled a little. "I love you too."

The two were silent for a few minutes; it was not sad, nor awkward. Just silence. They both listened to the sound of the night with slight smiles on their faces, thoughts racing about how happy they truly were to be reunited. Oddly enough, Namine was the one to break the silence.

"Thank you for coming to me."

He blushed. "Don't thank me. To be honest I haven't stopped missing you once, I was just so stubborn that I couldn't admit it, and we just kept on arguing... I felt kinda trapped in one bad place."

She giggled cutely. "That's exactly where I've been sitting too. But to be honest, I was getting a bit worried for a while there. I kinda thought maybe you stopped loving me..."

"If I was able to stop loving you over some stupid arguments after being in love with you for HOW many years, how heartless do you think I would have to be?" He laughed with good nature.

"Well you know how I am. I worry."

"Even if we were caught up int he hugest argument in history I wouldn't be able to stop loving you. I'll always love you, no matter what."

Namine blushed intensely at this statement. "Aww Roxas... I'm so happy." She gave him a toothy grin, and the two sat there in each others arms for what must have been hours.

* * *

Please leave a review, thank you kindly!


	5. Kairi: Paradise

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

_When she was just a girl _  
_She expected the world _  
_But it flew away from her reach _  
_And the bullets catch in her teeth _  
_Life goes on, it gets so heavy _  
_The wheel breaks the butterfly _  
_Every tear a waterfall _  
_In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes _  
_In the night the stormy night away she'd fly _

The next day at school, Roxas and Namine were proud to walk through the halls hand in hand. Of course, only naturally, their redheaded best friend was even more excited to see this happening. As soon as the two blonde's appraoached Kairi and Sora in the morning, Kairi practically exploded from how happy she was. She squealed and gave them both hugs.

"I'm so happy!" She chimed frantically.

"No really?" Roxas laughed sarcastically. Namine blushed and giggled.

"It's about time!" Sora exclaimed, before poking Roxas in the chest. "I was starting to get pretty angry with you!"

Roxas' face flushed red and he looked away embarrassed. "Well yeah, I know I was acting like a complete ass... I finally mustered up the courage to apologize to Namine last night."

"Awwww." Kairi cooed. "You guys look happy."

"I know I am." Roxas smiled.

"Me too!" Namine nodded in agreement. "I can finally relax and not be so worried all the time."

Kairi let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god! We all need to have a fresh start this year." The four friends nodded in agreement, before the bell rang signalling the beginning of class. They all agreed to meet up at lunch as per usual and continued to their induvidual classes.

Kairi was on her way through the hall, when she noticed that Roxas was walking not far ahead.

"Hey, Roxas!" She called out to him, but he didn't answer. "Roxas? Hello?" She sped up a bit and caught up to him on his left. "Hey Roxas are you deaf?" She inquired, and he looked down at her with a confused expression. Much to Kairi's surprise, it wasn't even Roxas, just someone who looked nearly identical to him. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, you look exactly like my friend..."

"Oh, that's fine." He smiled. His hair was the exact same style as Roxas and his facial features were closely similar, but there were still things that differenciated their faces. From afar or from behind though, it was impossible to tell that he wasn't Roxas. "I've actually been called Roxas by a few people..." He chuckled with good nature and scratched the back of his head. "Weird, cause I dunno the guy. Guess I look just like him."

"Yeah you really do!" Kairi said. "It's remarkable! Same hair, same style, closely similar facial features as well."

He laughed. "Well that is just odd, I really feel like I need to meet this guy." He stopped and Kairi faced him. "I'm Ventus, by the way. You can call me Ven if you'd like." He extended a friendly hand towards her, and she happily shook it.

"I'm Kairi, it's nice to meet you! I'll try not to call you Roxas again, I promise." She giggled.

"Haha, I won't hold it against you." Ven smiled sweetly, and the two continued down the hall way. "So have you always gone to this school?" He asked with curiousity.

"Yep, this is my fourth year."

"Very nice, I just moved here from Radiant Garden."

"Really? I lived there for a while not too long ago. It's a nice place."

"Yes, it really is, but I needed to get away. I lived there my whole life, and my parents were just getting to be too much to handle."

Kairi laughed. "I feel you there. So you're living on your own?"

"Yup!" He grinned widely. "It's tough, but managable."

"Well good for you, Ven." The redhead gave him a sweet smile before stopping in front a classroom. "Well this is my stop."

"Alright, well perhaps I'll see you around sometime."

"Definitely!" They smiled at each other once more before parting ways. Kairi went and sat down in her class, thinking _wow that was weird! There is no way that guy isn't related to Roxas. With features so stunningly similar, they look like they could be twins!_

* * *

Come lunchtime, Xion lit her cigarette on her way out to the pit. Already she could hear the laughter of Axel and his friends, and she laughed a bit to herself thinking about how goofy they all were. She recalled the previous night with a smile, remembering all the hilarity she had experienced watching the band play. It had been what seemed like forever since she had actually enjoyed herself... Axel and his band really did know how to make her smile. She understood why they were some of Riku's best friends.

"Yo, Xion!" Axel waved as she approached. She nodded to him. "What's good homeslice?"

Xion scoffed jokingly before laughing. "Not much, dawg. You?"

"Just chillin brah." He said with a smoke hanging out the corner of his mouth. He casually leaned up against the fence. "What are you sayin' at this exact moment?"

"Well, currently I'm smoking a cigarette at the pit and talking to you."

"Rad, so you're down to go blaze then, yeah?"

"B-Blaze...?" She stammered. "I don't really smoke weed anymore, Axel."

"WHAAAAAT?" He exclaimed. "You don't smoke weed? Jesus woman, what are you, an alien?"

She giggled. "What are you talking about man, tons of people don't smoke weed."

"Yeah but you're too chill to not blaze. I seriously thought you did."

"Well, thanks... But I quit a while ago."

Axel looked bummed. "Ah well, suit yourself. At least come hangout in the revine with me and the guys while we do?"

Xion shrugged. "Yeah sure, why not?"

* * *

"Hey Roxas, I met your doppleganger today, eh?" Kairi began as her, Sora, Roxas and Namine sat in the cafeteria. Roxas looked at Kairi with confused eyes.

"Really?"

"Yup!" She chimed. "His name is Ventus, and he looks almost exactly like you... It was the weidest thing I had ever experienced in my entire life."

"That's odd." Namine commented. "I haven't seen this guy around, I don't think."

"Yeah, me neither." said Sora. "Is he in one of your classes or something?"

"Nah, I actually bumped into him in the hall thinking he was you, Roxas." Kairi explained. "I was like 'hey Roxas!' and ran up to him, only to see that he wasn't even you. It was kinda scary."

"Weird." Sora and Roxas said simulantaneously.

"Very weird..." Namine muttered.

"He had the same haircut, same coloured eyes, and dressed kinda like Roxas would too. He even had similar features, but when I actually saw his face it was easy to distinguish that you guys aren't the same person. From afar though, holy shit... I'm still freaked out." Kairi laughed, before noticing something in the corner of her vision. She looked to the right and saw Ven walking down the hall. "Hey look, there he is!"

Roxas instantly stood up. "I have to see this."

* * *

Sorry its starting off kinda slow guys, I have big plans for the future of this story, its just a matter of getting there xD bare with me! Please review. :)


	6. Xion: Wish You Were Here

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

How I wish, how I wish you were here

We're just two lost souls

Swimming in a fish bowl

Year after year

Running over the same old ground

What have we found?

The same old fears

Wish you were here  
**  
**

* * *

Roxas' face was utterly frozen as he stood face to face with... Himself?

Ven looked back with the exact same expression.

"Freaky isn't it?" Kairi giggled, and the two nodded simultaneously.

"Well... This is certainly strange." Ven chuckled, extending a hand to Roxas. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ventus."

Roxas smiled and returned the handshake. "I'm Roxas." He gestured towards the little blonde to his right, "And this is my girlfriend Namine."

"I'm Sora!" Sora exclaimed, pushing Roxas aside so he could shake Ven's hand as well.

Ven smiled brightly. "It's very nice to meet you all."

"Indeed, but I'm still a little freaked out not gunna lie." Roxas joked, and they all laughed a bit.

"Definitely going to take some getting used to, that's for sure." Ven agreed.

"Do you wanna join us for lunch, Ven?" Kairi chimed with a smile, and the blonde nodded thankfully.

"Sure, why not?"

"Yeah, a new friend!" Sora jumped about all hyper, before they all continued their way to the cafeteria to finish lunch.

October 20th

It had been a decent month since school began and everything seemed to be going smoothly, oddly enough. Sora and Kairi were taking good care of the baby, while Roxas and Namine were managing to keep their relationship as happy as ever. Xion had made good friends out of Axel and them, and Ven had also made pretty good friends out of everyone as well.

Sounds happy enough, right?

Well I do wish I could say "the end" right here, and leave everyone with the blissful happy ending of typical high school students, but I'm afraid I can't do that.

Come october, things were staring to change; for the better or for the worse, no one was quite certain. In fact, the only person who was beginning to notice these changes was Xion.

Between Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Namine, Xion felt as though she was the odd one out. Though the gang had always confronted her as a best friend, without Riku around Xion's insecurities spoke loud... It wasn't so bad before, but as the days rolled by, she observed her happy friends go out as couples for dinner and to the movies, whereas she was generally a fifth wheel.

She noticed herself slowly drifting away from them once again, thinking to herself _who am I really to them?_

Xion started to think of Axel as her best friend, and his band as her 'group'. As much as she still loved Sora and them, she couldn't stand the feeling of not belonging; like she shouldn't have even been there to begin with.

She sat in Axel's garage as she contemplated these things. The band was rehearsing, but she wasn't really paying attention. She felt like it had been forever since Riku had passed on; she figured she would have recovered by now, but then again it had only been a few months. _I wish that time would just speed up... I wish I could just stop thinking..._

* * *

The autumn air was crisp and fresh, refreshing to the souls of Sora and his friends. Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Namine walked happily downtown, laughing and joking as they made their way towards the market to do some shopping.

"I heard that he once tried to cheat on a math test by writing the answers on his desk." Sora chuckled. "The only problem was, he used a black sharpie." The group laughed hysterically.

"That's so great." Roxas beamed. "Good ol Pence, he's always been that guy."

"For as long as I can remember, anyways." Kairi giggled. A thought popped into the redheads mind at that moment as she passed by a clothing store that displayed a lot of black, sort of "punk" style clothing. She had never seen this store before; it made her think of her friend, Xion. "Say guys..." She began. "Is this place new?" They all stopped and stared up at it.

"The Rock Shop?" Roxas inquired curiously. "Never seen it before."

"It must be new." Namine said. "Definitely not my style though. If Xion were with us, I'd say we should go in, but..."

A sort of ill silence fell over them.

"Xion..." Kairi muttered sadly. "I wonder what's going on with her lately."

"To be honest, I've been so distracted with all the fun we've been having lately, that I kind of didn't think about it." Sora admitted, embarrassed. "But now that you mention it..."

"She has been acting pretty distant, hasn't she?" Roxas pondered as they continued on their way. "I'm not going to lie, I haven't thought about it much either."

"Me neither." Namine blushed. "But I have definitely noticed."

"I guess we've all been pretty busy lately eh?" Kairi said. "Between school, Amaya, going out with you guys, I haven't paid much attention to how Xion is doing." They all wore grim expressions.

"Well now I just feel terrible!" Sora exclaimed and they all nodded in agreement.

"It's been at least two weeks since we've hung out with her, and the last time I don't even remember her talking." Namine sighed. "Well I think we should text her. Maybe she feels left out."

"I'm right on it." Kairi said, whipping out her cell phone.

* * *

Xion's cell phone lit up and she was surprised to see Kairi's name there.

_Hey Xion, we miss you, come hang out downtown?_

She stared at it for a moment, barely contemplating this offer before she shut her phone without replying and turned back to the band. _I miss you guys too... _She thought sadly. _But today is just not the day..._

* * *

A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set as Kairi and Sora walked home lugging bags of fresh grocerys. Kairi opened her phone up for the umpteenth time and let out a heavy sigh of sadness.

"I'm sorry baby." Sora spoke softly. "I'm sure she's just busy and hasn't checked her phone."

"I just can't help but get the feeling that she's mad at us." Kairi said. "Like we haven't been there for her lately... She's still grieving over Riku's death, and we've been moving on too quickly."

"Everyone is still grieving; that will never end. But, it's a matter of accepting what has happened and moving forward regardless. Riku wouldn't want us to freeze our lives in a pit of depression, he would want us to be happy and remember him for the great guy he was."

"I understand that, the only problem is, Xion doesn't seem to. And as her friends, it should be our duty to help her through his hard time..." Kairi's voice was laced with hurt. "How could we just neglect her?"

"Well we have been pretty busy lately, Kai. Juggling school and a baby all at one time isn't exactly easy.

"Tell me about it..."

Suddenly, a _beep_ noise went off and Sora quickly grabbed his phone from his back pocket. "Oh, a text from my mom. I wonder what she wants."

_Hi Sora, just letting you know that your aunt is sending your cousin to attend school here for the year. So it would be helpful if you could show him around and such._

Sora stopped in his tracks as he grimly read this message, a look of shock on his face.

"Sora, what's wrong?"

He looked at her with terrified eyes. "My cousin is coming to live here..."

Kairi's eyes widened. "Oh no, not..."

"Yes... _Vanitas."_

* * *

**A/N: YES **Vanitas will be appearing in this story! PLEASE REVIEW XOXOX


	7. Vanitas: If it Means a Lot to You

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

And hey darling  
I hope you're good tonight  
And I know you don't feel right when I'm leaving  
Yeah I want it but no I don't need it  
Tell me something sweet to get me by  
'Cause I can't come back home till they're singing

* * *

**October 25th**

"Wow, this place sure is full of dead beats." Yellow-ish green eyes squinted at the beautiful view of the beach, appearing to be quite displeased. "It hasn't changed a bit since I was a kid."

Vanitas strolled into town from the train station with an apathetic grimace. Black hair spiked high off his head, and matched well with the dark and torn clothing he sported. Although he had been there a few times before, it had been seven years since he'd stepped foot anywhere near Destiny Islands. He could remember it like it was yesterday; being ten years old, throwing rocks at his little cousin Sora and burying his head in sand.

An evil smirk crossed his lips as he recalled those joyous memories.

_Where the hell is that idiot anyways? He's supposed to be meeting me here. Not like I have a clue where I'm going._

Just as this thought ended, Sora appeared through a crowd of people and hesitantly made his way towards his cousin. Vanitas instantly recognized him; that spiky brown hair, those silly innocent looking eyes, and that awkward smile that he always wore when he was nervous. Vanitas smirked deviously, whereas Sora was gulping his fear. It had been years since they'd seen each other, and Sora dreaded the person Vanitas may have become.

"H-Hey, Vanitas. Long time no see." Sora grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Vanitas laughed.

"As weird as you ever were, eh Cuz?" The dark haired boy chuckled maliciously, and Sora shot him a glare.

"Hey man. Let's just get along, alright? We're not ten years old anymore."

Vanitas let out a burst of laughter yet again and patted his cousin on the back. "No worries dude, I don't plan on shoving sand down your throat. I've grown up too, you know."

Sora let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, that's good."

The two continued on their way, making it through crowds of people waiting at the train station until they reached the quiet side streets.

"So, I've heard you've got a baby now." Vanitas said. Sora blushed a bit.

"Well, yeah."

"Who's the mom? Wait, don't even tell me." He grinned. "The cute little redhead you always had a thing for."

Sora's face lit up bright red, a flashback occurring in his mind to when Vanitas would pick on Kairi as well. "Yeah it was Kairi..."

"I'm not surprised. I always kinda had this feeling you two would end up together." Vanitas' orbs lingered on Sora's flushed face for a moment. "I can see the worry in your face, just relax man. I'm not going to beat you up or hurt your family. I'll still rag on you now and again, but that's just me." He smiled and patted Sora on the back. "So just relax, you'll get used to me eventually."

Sora half smiled, still feeling extremely awkward in Vanitas' presence. "Well... If you say so. Let's just change the topic then. So how've you been all this time?"

"Terrible. My mother's a crazy bitch, I failed most of my classes in high school, my girlfriend of two years just recently got rid of my ass, I lost my job, kicked out of my house, need I go on?"

"Wow..." Sora muttered, anxious to reply. He didn't want to accidently say anything offensive. "Well, erm, that really sucks man. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah yeah whatever... As much as I dislike this place, at least I'm away from my mom, my ex and all of my old friends." He sighed. "A new kinda start I guess, though I'm sure I'll royally fuck things up here too."

"Don't say that. You'll be going to the same school as me... Maybe I can help you out, if you let me."

Vanitas shrugged. "Perhaps."

They were nearing downtown now, and Vanitas began to remember more and more about Destiny Islands. He knew it wasn't that bad of a place, it just wasn't home. But then again, he no longer had a home.

"So what have you been up to Sora?" He asked, showing a bit of genuine curiosity. "Give me a recap of your life."

Sora chuckled. "Well I dunno what to say man. I went to high school, ended up accidentally getting my childhood friend pregnant, among other things..." Sora paused for a short moment, a grim look crossing his features. "My best friend died."

Even Vanitas showed a bit of emotion at this."Oh, seriously? Who was that?"

"It was Riku."

"Oh ouch, that's hurt." Vanitas held little sincerity in his voice, but Sora expected no more from his cruel cousin.

"Yeah well... I'd rather not talk about that." Sora sighed. "So where are you living anyways?"

"Umm moving into some apartment building. Can you take me there? It's on tenth street."

"You're living on your own?"

"Nah, with some Vent-ass guy or some shit, according to the ad I read online."

"You're gunna be living with Ven!?" Sora exclaimed, shocked. "No way, I go to school with that guy!"

"Alright alright calm down." Vanitas laughed. "Don't get too excited there Sora."

Sora crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "Hmph. I was just surprised."

"I'm just teasing... But yeah, I'm sure it's probably the same guy. Come by and help me unpack my shit, then you'll find out for sure."

Sora rolled his cerulean orbs. "Ugh, fine." As the two continued making their way toward tenth street, Sora noticed a small figure with short black hair rushing down the sidewalk. "Oh hey, that's my friend up there." Sora chimed, before shouting: "OY, XION!"

Xion jumped and twisted around with a look of shock and confusion. First, she saw Sora, and secondly... Another Sora? No, it was just someone who resembled him. Xion was hesitant to stop, she wanted to keep rushing on her way and avoid Sora but she had already made eye contact and he was coming toward her. He smiled goofy.

"Hey Xion, where ya been lately? I haven't seen you much."

She blushed and averted his gaze. "O-Oh y'know just around. Been super busy."

"Ohh, I see." He smiled. "Well, we miss you. Come hang out more often, it feels like you're drifting away from us!"

Xion awkwardly chuckled. "Y-Yeah... Sorry..."

"What's this Sora, not even gunna introduce me?" Vanitas mused, eyeing down Xion with a playful grin.

"Oh, right!" Sora exclaimed. "Xion, this is my cousin, Vanitas. He just moved here. And Vanitas, this is one of my best friends, Xion."

_Best... Friend? _Xion thought, a solemn look crossing her soft features. "It's nice to meet you." Vanitas said slyly, snapping her out of her momentary trance. She met his eyes and flinched at the look in them. He smiled nicely enough, but his eyes told a different story. They were a strange colour, a light yellowy-green and held a certain sadness. Xion felt something familiar. Nostalgic, even.

"It's nice to meet you too." She replied after a moment of silence.

"What are you up to?" Sora queried. "Wanna hang out? I was just walking Vanitas to his new place, you should tag along."

"It'd be cool with me." Vanitas grinned.

Xion's face was burning. She didn't really want to go, but at the same time, recalling Sora's kind words she felt like maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. So hesitantly, she agreed and they continued on their way.

* * *

"I can't believe my new roommate is your cousin, Sora." Ventus laughed as he sat on the couch of his and Vanitas' apartment. They had finally finished helping Vanitas move in, so they all sat around and talked for a while.

"That is pretty trippy." Vanitas commented. "And to think I'd be living with someone who is also from Twilight Town."

This struck an interest in Xion. So both Ventus and Vanitas were from her hometown as well. Even with that thought, she sat quietly much as she had before. She needed a cigarette, but didn't have any, thus making her even more antsy. Just as that thought crossed her mind, Vanitas stood up from the couch and pulled a pack out of his pocket.

"Well, sorry guys but I'm going for a smoke. I've been holding off for hours."

Sora grimaced. "Vanitas, you smoke now?"

"I've been smoking since I was fourteen." He laughed as if it were nothing. Sora simply rolled his eyes, unsure why he was shocked a few moments prior. Xion was eyeing his pack, wanting very badly to ask for one but didn't want to be rude. She had only just met the guy, after all, she didn't like appearing to be that moochy girl.

But much to her surprise, apparently Vanitas noticed she was staring. "What, you want one?" He offered, and she sheepishly nodded.

"Um, sure, thanks."

"Aw, Xion too?" Sora pouted, but when he saw the look she gave him, he quieted down about it. He of all people would understand most what she had been going through this past while. So very nervously, she followed Vanitas on to the balcony where there was a calming view of Destiny Islands in the evening.

Vanitas handed her a cigarette and leaned his elbows on the railing. They lit them and stood there in rather awkward silence, before Xion broke it.

"Thank you for the cigarette." She peeped. He gave her a bit of a twisted look.

"No worries... How come you're so quiet?" He inquired bluntly, which threw her off guard.

"I dunno. Haven't really seen Sora for a while, and I don't really know you... Or Ventus very well either, actually. I guess it's just a bit awkward for me." She laughed. "Sorry."

"What're you apologizing for? Nothin' wrong with feeling awkward." He chuckled. "I've been feeling awkward for basically my entire life, it's all about how you handle it."

Xion giggled a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So try not to feel_ too_ awkward. There's no way you can feel more then me, I don't know anyone in this town."

"I suppose that's true. Well I'm sure you'll adjust to life here pretty fast... I actually moved from Twilight Town as well, a couple years back."

"Ohh yeah? That's sweet I guess. Though I hate that place."

"Oh, me too. That's why I left."

Vanitas laughed. "Well, it appears we have a few things in common."

"I guess so."

* * *

Later in the evening, after everyone had left, Vanitas lay alone in his bed. He stared at the ceiling, when he looked at his phone and saw he had received a text message from his ex girlfriend, Fuu. They hadn't spoken in days, not since they broke up.

_Hi. Did you get to Destiny Islands okay? _It read, and Vanitas scoffed then replied with a simple _yes. _He then threw his phone on the ground and rolled on his side.

_Was it really the right decision to move here? _He pondered, thoughts swirling around the girl he had been with for two years. He couldn't deny that he still loved her, and it hurt to know they may never get back together. But naturally, he never would have shown anybody how torn up he was, especially not her. He heard his phone vibrate again, and wanted to resist looking at it but couldn't.

_That's good. _Fuu said. _How is the place?_

_It's fine I guess. _Vanitas wrote.

_I'm glad to hear that. _She replied a few moments later. _Well, I have to go help my mom with something. I'll talk to you later, Vani. _He flinched reading the nickname she had always called him while they were together. He probably could have cried, but he didn't. He simply threw his phone again and left his room to go see what Ventus was up to, hoping that maybe he could build some kind of friendship with his new roommate that would keep his mind off Fuu.

Ventus was watching TV and eating popcorn. He smiled when he saw Vanitas emerge.

"Oh hey, Vanitas, wanna hang out?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. We're gunna be living together, so I guess we should get more acquainted."

"Indeed." Ven chuckled as Vanitas joined him on the couch.

* * *

**A/N: **Woooo update :P I hope I still have some readers here! Thank you all very much for reviewing.

**Is anyone interested in helping me brainstorm ideas for what Kairi and Sora will be up to for this story? To be completely honest, I'm a bit lost on ideas for them. **

**PLEASE REVIEW :) **


	8. Sora: Things Have Changed

**A/N: Hey guys, thanks a lot for the reviews! **

* * *

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

Things have changed for me

and that's okay

I feel the same, I'm on my way

and I say

Things have changed for me

and that's okay

* * *

**October 27th**

* * *

"You know, halloween is almost here." Sora said as he tucked his baby into her crib. Amaya cooed softly as she drifted into sleep, and her father smiled warmly before turning to Kairi. "We should all plan something!"

"We could." Kairi said. "But what would we do? I think we're a bit too old for trick-or-treating."

Sora pouted. "Totally not too old, but I'm sure I would be the only one who wants to go."

Kairi chuckled. "No way Sora, you really want to go?"

He blushed. "Well, kinda... But nah, forget about it. No one would wanna go, so we should just plan a party or something."

"Where though?" Kairi laid down on the bed. "We can't have it here."

"Well, I was thinking of asking Ven and Vanitas if we could get together at their place."

"That doesn't sound like such a terrible idea, though I am worried about seeing Vanitas..."

"I was too, but he doesn't seem all _that _bad, surprisingly. And hey its sunday, so you know what that means..." He jumped on the bed playfully. "You'll be face to face with him tomorrow, on his first day of school."

The redhead gulped. "Sounds reaaaal fun, Sora."

* * *

October 28th

* * *

Vanitas wasn't nervous when he approached the school, more so dreading what he knew he was going to be enduring. _I hate high school and I hate kids. _He thought to himself with a grimace. _I'm 18 years old, I shouldn't be dealing with this... But oh well, I guess that's what I get for slackin' off the last four years. _

He was pleased that he was at least with Ven, who would show him where his classes were. As the two approached the school, Vanitas spotted his goofy cousin right away. He was standing with Kairi and two other people he didn't know. Of course, he noticed that one of them looked just like Ven.

"Oh, hey guys." Sora said as they drew close. Kairi spotted Vanitas and started to get really nervous; he looked a lot like Sora, but then again he always had.

"What's up?" Ven asked with a smile.

Sora yawned and stretched. "Sooo tired... Oh, Roxas, Namine, this is my cousin Vanitas. He just moved here, as I was telling you before." The two blondes waved awkwardly, having heard many things about Vanitas from Sora. Van didn't really smile or wave back. "And Kairi," Sora continued, "well you guys kinda know each other."

Kairi's face flushed when she met Vanitas' eyes and she instantly averted them. "Um, hi." She peeped.

"Hey." Was all Vanitas said, before the bell rang.

"Well, we're off to class then." Sora said, waving as him and the others left Ven and Vanitas alone.

Vanitas frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmph."

"What's wrong?" Ventus asked.

"I can already tell Sora's friends don't like me. I'm sure he had lots of fun telling them _all _about me..."

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." Ven laughed and began to lead Vanitas into the school. "They'll come around, they're just shy."

"I don't care, it's not like I want them as friends. Just annoys me that they judge me before really knowing me."

"Well you'll have a hard time meeting a person who isn't like that." Ven admitted, before stopping in front of a classroom. "This is your stop, friend."

"Thanks..."

"Jeez, Sora's cousin seems kinda scary..." Roxas muttered as him and Namine made their way toward the cafeteria.

"Yeah, no kidding. All I can picture is him torturing Sora and Kairi when they were kids." Namine commented. The couple found their way to Sora and Kairi, who sat as they normally would at a table.

"So I'm pretty positive Xion is mad at me. Or us. Or someone." Kairi said as soon as they arrived.

"I don't know about that Kairi, she's fine with me." Sora stated through a mouthful of food.

"That's what I mean, she's fine with you but not with me? So unlike her."

Namine nodded. "Weird for sure."

"I just think she's still going through some things." Roxas speculated. "I mean think about it, even out of Sora and Kairi, I think what happened in the summer hit Xion the hardest."

"We already know that." Kairi pouted. "But why would she be avoiding her best friends? Unless she doesn't want to be friends anymore..."

"Just give her some space, Kai." Sora put his arm around his girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek. "She's just having a hard time."

"And the fact that we're all in a relationship probably doesn't help." Roxas said. "I know if I was her, I wouldn't like being the fifth wheel."

"That's true." Kairi sighed. "But still, I wish she would at least text me back..."

"Oh hey, there goes Ven!" Sora pointed out, watching as the Roxas look alike made his way down the hallway as he always did. "I wonder where he always goes at lunch? And hey... Where's Vanitas?"

The smokers pit looked like it was full of goons that Vanitas didn't want to associate with, but what choice did he have? He was a smoker, after all. As he walked up to it, he was slightly at ease when he recognized a familiar face. It was Xion, the girl who Sora had brought over on friday. She was standing and smoking a cigarette with a tall guy with red hair and a blonde one.

Vanitas felt a little awkward interrupting whatever they were talking about, but at the same time he didn't give two shits. So he approached them as he lit his smoke.

"Hey, Xion?"

She looked startled when she saw him, but smiled a bit. "Oh, Vanitas. Hello."

"Umm, what's up." He muttered.

"Just chillin' out, was just about to escort these two idiots to the forest." She said.

"Hey!" Axel punched her lightly in the arm. "I'm not an idiot." He said defiantly. "Demyx is the idiot."

"You're both idiots." Xion laughed, and Vanitas couldn't help but think that this wasn't the same girl he met before. _I guess these are her best friends then. _"But yeah, the tall idiot is named Axel, and the shorter (but still way taller than me) idiot is Demynx." The dark haired girl giggled. "Guys this is Vanitas, he's Sora's cousin."

"Ohh, that's totally lame." Axel said. "Sora's totally lame."

"I think I like that one." Vanitas said to Xion jokingly.

"I jest, I jest." Axel mused. "Sora's a nice kid."

"If by nice you mean retarded..." Vanitas joked and they laughed. "So, mind if I join you guys? I don't really know anyone here other than Sora."

"Yeah, sure." Xion smiled, and they got on their way.

* * *

**November 1st**

* * *

"So hows your first week at school?" Sora inquired as he accompanied his cousin towards his apartment.

"It's been okay I guess." Vanitas replied nonchalantly, opening the door so they could enter the building.

"How are you classes?"

"Lame."

Sora rolled his eyes and sighed, slightly exasperated. It seemed as though it was impossible to converse with Vanitas, but it was in Sora's nature to keep trying. "So thanks again for having us over tonight."

"No problem I guess, but it was mainly Ven who said it was cool."

"Well still you're letting it happen. I wish I'd gotten to go trick-or-treating on actual halloween though, Kairi wasn't down."

Vanitas scoffed through a laugh. "Pfft, I wonder why." Sora chose to ignore this comment as they entered the apartment.

"Soooo, what are you dressing up as?"

"Nothing."

_God, he's so depressing. _Sora thought, throwing himself on the couch. Vanitas kind of just walked off into his room, saying nothing to Ventus who passed by him.

"Oh hey Sora." Ven said. "You excited for tonight?"

"Hell yeah!" He enthused. "Me and Kairi are both being cats. What are you dressing up as?"

Ven laughed. "A cat."

"Man, I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of cats tonight." There was a knock on the door and Sora nearly jumped out of his skin. "Ohhh who is it!" He opened it only to reveal Roxas. "Oh hey buddy, you better be wearing a costume tonight."

Roxas chuckled wholeheartedly as he shut the door behind him and took off his jacket. "Don't worry Sora, I know how you'd feel if I didn't dress up."

"Oh man, I'd be pissed."

* * *

A couple hours later, almost everyone had arrived and were in costume. Sora, Kairi and Ven were all sporting their kitty costumes, while Namine dressed up as a ladybug and Roxas was a zombie. Ven also invited some people, his friend Terra who was a hot dog and his girlfriend Aqua who was a mermaid. They were just waiting on the rest of Terra's band and Xion. Vanitas, of course, had kept himself locked in his room, occasionally poking out to the balcony for a cigarette.

"Well, I think this is enough people." Terra said, pulling out a huge bottle of whiskey from his backpack and placing it on the coffee table.

"Just don't drink too much." Ven laughed. "You remember what happened last time, right?"

Terra awkwardly scratched his head and Aqua giggled. "I wouldn't exactly say I remember, but I get the gist."

"I got us some beer for tonight, too." Roxas said sheepishly to Namine, Sora and Kairi. "I know collectively we don't drink, but I figured it couldn't hurt to have a few beers."

"Ehhh, I dunno." Sora said, looking to Kairi. "I have a bad history with alcohol, but if its okay with you Kairi, I wouldn't mind having a few."

"Yeah, that's fine." She smiled. "I trust you not to get plastered, Sora. You have a baby to get home to."

"So I assume that means you're not drinking?" Roxas laughed and Kairi shook her head.

"Nah, thanks anyway though. But I'm not ready to start drinking, even if its just socially."

"I might have a few." Namine peeped. "If it doesn't taste too gross."

Another knock was on the door and Sora jumped out of his seat yet again. This time, it was the rest of the party; Axel, Demynx and Xion. Axel appeared to be a lion, Demynx was a 'rock star' and Xion added yet another cat to the party.

Axel held up a bottle about the same size as Terra's and shouted "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

**A/N: Well there's another chapter down, I think I'm finally getting some inspiration to keep fuelling this story. Your reviews are always appreciated and very motivating, so PLEASE REVIEW!**


	9. Roxas: In Too Deep

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

The faster we're falling,  
We're stopping and stalling.  
We're running in circles again  
Just as things we're looking up  
You said it wasn't good enough.  
But still we're trying one more time.

Maybe we're just trying to hard.  
When really it's closer than it is too far

Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep,  
All the thoughts in my head, instead of going under.

* * *

Roxas felt slightly awkward.

He wasn't quite sure why, but he couldn't shake the feeling that things were still a bit weird with him and Namine. They weren't fighting, but at the same time, something still felt out of place. He'd been feeling that way since they got back together, but for the most part he tried to ignore it. But as they all sat together at the halloween party, talking and having a good time, Roxas was kind of just sitting there quietly sipping a beer.

_Why do I feel awkward? _He wondered to himself, watching Namine laugh at something silly Sora did. She hadn't really spoken to him very much since she arrived with Kairi. His insecurities were getting the best of him, and he found himself drinking a bit faster than he'd planned.

"So I told him, listen man, I don't appreciate you giving me a sixty on that essay, I worked totally hard on that!" Sora hickupped, and Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Sora, slow down a bit. You're acting silly."

"I always act silly!" He retorted, swiftly grabbing a quick kiss off her lips. She couldn't help but giggle.

"You make a good point, just don't get sloshed okay?"

"I know, I promise. I've only had 3 beers, I just haven't drank in such a long time that I think it's hitting me kinda fast." He chuckled.

"Next thing you know, you're gunna be puking off the balcony." Namine joked, and they all laughed imagining Sora plastered and throwing up.

Terra, Aqua, Demynx Axel were all pounding back shots, but Ven and Xion were taking it easy with a light mixed drink. Xion especially, was scared to drink any more than that, recalling the problem she used to have with liquor. But when she saw everyone else drinking, she figured it wouldn't hurt to have a mixed drink, and she had no intentions of getting drunk. Unfortunately, Axel, Demynx and Terra kept pushing her.

"C'monnnnn Xion, get hammered!" Axel urged, shoving a shot glass full of vodka in her face. Irritated, she shook her head.

"No, Axel."

"Why not?" Demynx pouted. "Have a good time with us!"

"I can have a good time without booze..." She somewhat lied. She could have a good time, but would she tonight? She didn't know. She urges were coming back, and that scared her. It was right there, in her face, and she was so close to being convinced... But she tried to resist, Riku's memory always in mind.

"Drink. Drink. Drink." Terra chanted, soon followed by Axel and Demynx chanting the same thing. "Drink. Drink. Drink. Drink."

Kairi looked over at the group, who sat on the couch opposite of her, and gave Xion a concerned look. Xion didn't seem to notice, as finally, she confided and took the shot glass. _Maybe it will shut them up if I take just one. _She thought and quickly drank it down. The guys cheered.

"See? Not that bad, is it?" Axel mused. Xion glared at him.

"There, are you happy now?"

"Nope, you're not drunk yet." He smirked. Xion sighed, thinking that this party wasn't such a good idea after all. She wasn't sure how long she could handle this.

* * *

Around 9 o'clock, Vanitas decided to show his face again. Everyone was a lot more intoxicated than they were two hours prior, the last time he emerged. When he came out, he heard tons of male voices going "YOOOOO!"

Even Sora, who looked like he'd had a few drinks himself. Vanitas couldn't help but laugh, and thought maybe they could be entertaining for a bit. So he sat down beside Xion and them on the one couch, and instantly had Axel throwing shots his way.

"You. Get drunk." The redhead jokingly demanded.

"I have no problem with this." Vantias stated, downing a shot with no chaser.

"See Xion? At least Vanitas will get drunk with me." Axel smirked to his short haired friend who just sat there awkwardly. She'd taken three shots so far, and was kind of feeling it, but not in a good way. She felt guilty, especially because she wanted to keep drinking.

"You don't drink?" Vanitas asked.

"Not much anymore." She admitted, yet her eyes lingered Axel's bottle.

"Drink more!" Terra said. "You'll have fun, like me."

"You look like you're passing out already and it's only 9." Aqua commented, and Terra waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah! I'm praaacally sober."

"Terra's fine." Axel said. "He just needs to drink more cause he's tired and things. Same with you, Xion."

Xion sighed. "Okay, fine." She abruptly grabbed his bottle and chugged some of it, much to everyone's surprise. She took three huge gulps and didn't use chaser. Everyone kind of just gaped in shock, unaware she could handle that much. However for Kairi, Sora, Roxas and Namine they did not seem quite as surprised.

"Oh no." Kairi whispered. "This is bad."

Sora nodded. "Yep..."

"What should we do?" Namine wondered. "Do we stop her?"

"We can't stop her." Said Roxas. "Xion is almost 18 years old, she should know by now."

"It's not always that simple." Kairi stated. "We all know that Xion has had a bad problem with alcohol in the past, and she's been doing great. She hasn't been drinking at all, and I didn't think I'd see this again after what happened, but... Looks like she couldn't control herself being offered so much."

"Yeah, it looked like she was resisting before, but she caved." Namine sighed. "I want to talk to her but I don't feel like it's my place, especially cause she hasn't been talking to me."

"Yeah, same here." Kairi could see Xion's pain in her expression. She didn't truly want to drink, Kairi knew that. But at the same time, she was able to see why Xion cracked. She just hoped that everything would be alright.

* * *

About two hours later, around 11 o'clock and Roxas felt decently tipsy. He obviously wasn't a drinker, but this actually didn't feel so bad. He was able to have an alright time, despite feeling anxious about his and Namine's lack of communication. The arrangement of the room had now been switched as everyone interacted with each other. Terra was passed out on the lazy boy, while Aqua continued to drink with Axel and Demynx. Sora was talking with Vanitas and Xion, while Roxas and Kairi sat alone on the original couch, not moving their positions once. Namine was sitting with Ven, and Roxas couldn't help but glare at them.

"Why is she sitting with him instead of me?" Roxas jealously muttered under his breath, loud enough for only Kairi to hear.

"No offense Roxas, but you've been kinda quiet tonight. Namine is just interacting with other people, it's nothing to worry about." Kairi reassured, but Roxas wasn't buying it.

"He's getting too friendly with her." Which was kind of true. They were sitting close to each other and Ven was showing Namine something on his Ipad. Roxas glared as she giggled at whatever it was.

"They're just talking." Kairi brushed it off. "Just relax Roxas."

"I am relaxed." He lied. "I'm alright."

"Go talk to her if you're worried about it. She's your girlfriend, if you feel like he's stealing her then go steal her back."

"Yeah but I feel awkward going and interrupting them..."

"Well you gotta make up your mind, Roxas."

He pouted and stood up. "Alright, fine."

"And speaking of which, I'm gunna go steal my man back from Vanitas."

* * *

"Soraaaa, come sit with me." Kairi cooed, grabbing her boyfriend by the hand.

"Oops, sorry baby." He kissed her and walked away from Xion and Vanitas, leaving them alone. They sat there for a few moments of awkward silence.

"Soooo..." Vanitas said.

"Soooooo..." Xion continued. "Do you want to go for a smoke? I kinda owe you one."

"Um yeah sure, not that you really owe me anything."

She smiled as they left for the balcony. "Well you tossed me one before, it's only fair that I toss you one back."

"Namine, can I talk to you?" Roxas asked as nicely as he could, grabbing her attention away from Ven.

"Umm yeah sure." She answered, standing up. "See ya in a bit, Ven."

The other blonde smiled. "Yeah, for sure."

Roxas held Namine by the hand and dragged her into the kitchen. "What's up?" She asked innocently. Roxas awkwardly avoided eye contact.

"Well I dunno... It seemed you were getting kind of friendly with Ventus." He admitted.

"What do you mean 'friendly'?" She answered somewhat defensively.

"I dunno, you just were sitting really close to him and stuff."

"Was not. What are you accusing me of?" Namine placed her hands on her hips and frowned.

"Nothing, I was just a bit concerned." Irritation laced his voice. "What's wrong with that? You are my girlfriend after all, right?"

"Well yeah but you're getting jealous over nothing."

"I am _not _jealous."

"Then why are you acting like it? I can't even talk to another guy that isn't Sora without you getting pissed?"

"Wow, it's not like that at all." He retorted. "You were sitting all close to him on the couch and weren't even talking to me."

"Because you weren't talking to me! You're being all quiet and stuff so I went and conversed with other people."

"Oh whatever, it looked like a bit more than conversing if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you."

Roxas didn't know how to reply."Fine then, go talk to him."

"I will." She answered defiantly then stormed past him. He stood there for a moment, before angrily stomping through the room and out of the apartment, making sure to slam the door behind him. Only Sora, Kairi and Namine noticed over the music. Kairi shot her best friend a glare, who simply shrugged it off and continued talking to Ven.

* * *

"Hey, is that Roxas?" Xion asked, pointing to the ground below. Roxas was seen rushing away from the building. "He looks pissed."

"Well I doubt it's Ventus, I've never seen that guy get pissed." Vanitas laughed.

"Hmm, wonder what happened."

"Meh, stupid drama probably."

She laughed. "True." Xion was definitely feeling drunk, though she tried to hide it. Her world was kind of spinning, but the cigarette was helping her stay into reality. Vanitas was drunk but wasn't quite at the point Xion was.

"You okay?" He asked her, noticing that her face looked kind of grim. She'd been distracted by the noise and the music before, but being outside in the quiet with only one person gave her mind room for thought.

"I'm fine." She answered dishonestly. Of course she wasn't fine, the moment she had a second to think her thoughts swirled to one person. She wanted to cry, but her pride wouldn't let her. Not in front of some guy she hardly knew.

Vanitas sighed. "Haven't drank in a while, have ya?" She shook her head. "Yeah, me neither. It can be fun, but when you've got a lot on your mind it tends to be a downer. I never turn it down though."

"I'd have to agree there."

"Yup."

"Is tonight one of those nights for you too?" She inquired.

"Basically."

"What's it about?"

He chuckled. "I guess you could say I have a broken heart."

She looked at him for a moment before her eyes fell back on the ground. She was surprised that Vanitas would give her such an honest answer, but then again they were both drunk. "Its okay. I have a broken heart, too."

"So I'm not the only one." They both finished their cigarettes and flicked them over the edge. "Should we go in, then?"

"I might stay out for a bit. I could use the fresh air..." She paused, eyes lingering on the horizon of the city. "The whole party thing isn't really working out too well for me."

"Why don't you come for a walk with me?" He queried, locking eyes with her. "I'm not really digging the party too much either."

After a moment of hesitation, Xion nodded, thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have someone to talk to that wasn't quite as drunk and optimistic. Xion wasn't in the mood for optimism, after all, and pessimism happened to be Vantias' forte.

* * *

**A/N: I have a plan. **


	10. Xion: Why it Scares Me

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

Maybe I just think about it all so much  
That that the fear stays close to all the ghosts I've touched.  
Makes me question  
Was it love or just lust?  
Caked in blood or old rust?  
I don't know.

* * *

"Namine, what did you say to him?" Kairi placed her hands on her hips as she scolded her blonde friend in the kitchen.

"Nothing, he was being a dick." She took a sip of her beer, and Kairi snatched it from her.

"Yet you still drink his beer." She said defiantly, before walking over to the sink and dumping it down the drain.

"H-Hey!" Namine objected, but Kairi had already tossed the empty bottle away.

"I think you're a bit drunk, Namine."

"So? It was Roxas' idea. He's drunk too, and so is Sora, and everyone else but you."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing... I was just saying that I'm not the only one drinking. Is it such a crime for me to unwind sometimes?" Namine flicked her hair off her forehead. Kairi couldn't help but think she was acting totally out of character.

"It's a crime when you get drunk off your boyfriends booze then upset him so much that he storms out of the party without saying a word to anyone."

Namine sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "All I told him was to stop being so jealous. It annoyed me how he approached me like that."

"Even still, he looked really upset, Nam."

"He's just being overdramatic..." She passively dismissed. "He took whatever I said too personally."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "I don't think its just that. He's upset that you guys just got back together and things are already starting to get weird."

Namine's expression softened. "I guess..."

"Aren't you happy you're back with him? It hurt you so much when you broke up, and you finally stopped arguing all the time."

"I am happy... But I dunno, tonight I guess I just don't feel like being around him."

"But you want to be around Ven?"

"I just want to expand my social horizons."

"Well, whatever you say, Nam." Kairi breathed through an exasperated sigh, before turning to leave. "Just remember, Roxas really loves you. Regardless of how annoyed you were with him, you really hurt his feelings. Maybe you should think about that."

* * *

Xion and Vanitas walked down the street side by side, making sure to keep a comfortable distance away from each other. They had only just left the apartment, and so far things were quiet between them. Vanitas decided it was time to break the silence.

"It's not so bad out tonight, eh?"

"It's kinda chilly." Xion commented. "But yeah, it's okay. I'm drunk so the cold isn't _that _bad. It's just the wind that sucks."

"True." He said, before he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out, and as expected, a text from his ex girlfriend. He sighed, which caught Xion's attention.

"What's up?" She inquired. He shook his head a bit as he frantically typed something on his phone.

"My ex." He said.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence. Vanitas wasn't one to confide in people... At all. In fact, he hated even talking about his problems to anyone, but for whatever reason a combination of alcohol and Xion's pressence made him want to talk. So, he answered. "We broke up just before I moved here, yet she still keeps texting me weird things."

"What do you mean? If you don't mind me asking."

"Just all this 'I miss you' bullshit." Anger started to lace his voice. "She's the one who fucking broke up with me, after two years. She's playing these mind games and it's just really stressful."

"Well... Perhaps you should stop talking to her." Xion suggested. "I mean if she's just fucking with your head, it could be for the best if you just stop replying."

"Yeah... I know." He sighed. "But I have an issue with that. It hurts. A lot."

"I understand that." They walked in total silence for a few minutes as Vanitas texted Fuu. Xion was curious what they were talking about, but despite being intoxicated she knew it would be rude to ask. Eventually, Vanitas put his phone back in his pocket. Now, neither of them knew what to talk about.

Xion shivered at the cold fall air; she wore a jacket over her costume, but she was still wearing only tights over her legs so she was a little chilly.

"Stupid cat costume..." She muttered, breaking the silence. Vanitas chuckled a bit.

"Why? It's cute."

Silence.

Her face flushed up intensely, as did his. "S-Sorry." He quickly said. "I didn't mean to..."

But before Xion could retort, she noticed someone sitting on the curb from the corner of her eye. She chose this as an opportunity to change the subject.

"It's Roxas."

The blonde held his head between his knees. When he heard their footsteps, he looked up, but quickly looked away.

"Roxas, what are you doing here?" Xion asked. She hadn't spoken to Roxas in quite a while, but she obviously wasn't going to ignore him in such a situation.

He took a moment to answer. "I'm just thinking." He then noticed that Xion was alone with Vanitas, and his expression kind of twisted.

"What's wrong?" Xion queried. "I saw you storm off earlier. What was that about?"

"Just stupid shit with Namine." He murmured. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"You sure?" She offered, feeling sorry for him. It seemed as though things were going bad with him and Namine again.

"Yeah... Thank you for asking, but please leave me alone."

Xion nodded. "Okay, well I will see you later then, Roxas."

"Yeah, see ya."

Xion looked back at him once as her and Vanitas walked away and saw he had assumed his original position. It looked like her and Vanitas weren't the only ones who were depressed that night.

Xion's thoughts drifted back to her own source of sadness. _Why? It's cute. _She recalled Vanitas saying not long before, and thought to herself that Riku had said something like that once. This made her uncomfortable, especially because she liked when Vanitas said it. It made her blush. It had been a long time since a guy had hinted a compliment her way. Even still, things seemed a bit more awkward now, for her anyway.

They made their way back to the apartment after about 45 minutes of walking. It was after 1 am now, and things were probably going to start dying down soon. But when Xion and Vanitas entered the apartment, the party was still going full force. Terra was awake and drinking again, Axel and them were still acting exactly the same, Namine sat with Ven while Kairi and Sora flirted on the couch. Of course, Roxas was no where to be seen.

"Sora, you're so silly." Kairi giggled, playfully slapping her boyfriend. He tried to kiss her but she shoved him away while laughing. Xion watched this with slight envy, as did Vanitas. The two teens suddenly were more grumpy than before.

"I need to drink more." Vanitas admitted, and Xion nodded in agreement. She wasn't quite as drunk any more, and unfortunately, she wanted to get back up there. So they approached Axel.

"Where did ya'll run off to?" Demynx asked curiously.

"We just went for a walk." Xion said, taking a seat on the couch followed by Vanitas.

"You want more shots, dontcha?" Axel mused. Xion rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Maybe just a few more." Axel filled up six shot glasses, one for him, Xion, Vanitas, Aqua, Terra and Demynx.

Axel raised his shot glass defiantly. "I make this toast to Ven and Vanitas, for hosting an awesome party." They all cheered their glasses and took a shot. As soon as Xion felt it hit her stomach, she instantly felt plastered again. She was unsure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but she was pretty positive that it wasn't exactly good. Either way, she kept her cool. She noticed Vanitas start to text frantically again, but said nothing about it. It wasn't her place, after all.

* * *

Around 2 am, things started to die down a little. Slower music was played, and people were a lot less hyper. Axel, Terra and Demynx were struggling to stay awake and even Aqua looked pretty tired. Sora, Kairi and Namine were getting ready to leave; Roxas never showed up.

Xion was still drunk and nearly in tears on the balcony. She snuck out when no one was paying attention, so she could be alone for a bit. Jumbled thoughts swirled through her mind. _I'm a terrible person. _She told herself. _I don't even deserve to live. _She broke down and began to sob, as she heard the door open behind her. She quickly tried to wipe away the tears and get in character, but Vanitas could tell she was crying.

"Hey uh, you alright?" He asked with uncertainty. He hated when girls cried more than anything, nothing made him feel more awkward and sad.

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have drank tonight. I need sleep."

Vanitas closed the door behind him and stood beside her. "Everyone is leaving soon. If you want, you can crash here... You could have my bed, and I could sleep on the couch."

Xion stopped sniffling for a moment and met his eyes. "That's nice of you, but I couldn't take your bed." She had heard a lot of bad things about Vanitas, but he didn't seem bad. Or maybe he was just really nice to her. Either way, she wasn't about to crash there.

Ven opened the door and poked his head out. "Hey, everyone's leaving now."

Xion turned to Vanitas. "I better go too, then. Thank you for the offer though."

He smiled a bit. "Um, no problem. Maybe another time..."

"Maybe."

* * *

**A/N: **I think the interactions with Xion and Vanitas seem a bit rushed, but don't worry. If you've read my stories, you should know that I would never write a simple, non-totally-complicated relationship ;) Please review and let me know what you think so far. I'm also curious as to how many readers I actually have right now, so if you see this please drop a review :) it's always appreciated.

Thanks so much for reading, and as always, thank you so much for reviewing!


	11. Namine: Stomach Tied in Knots

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

Oh, my stomach's tied in knots

I'm afraid of what I'll find if you want to talk tonight

See the problem isn't you, it's me, I know

I can tell, I've seen it time after time

And I'll push you away

Oh, I get so afraid

* * *

December 5th

* * *

Namine sat in the cafeteria alone, poking at her crappy macaroni with her fork, dreading eating it. The blonde sighed, looking across the cafeteria to see Roxas walking in with Sora and Kairi. She made eye contact with Roxas, before quickly looking away and blushing.

It had been over a month since they had unnoffically broken up.

Roxas never really said anything to her, he simply stopped talking to her, along with Sora. Kairi was mad at her too, but she couldn't hate her best friend no matter what she did. Kairi understood how terrible she felt.

Every time Namine saw Roxas, she cringed with regret, recalling how stupidly she'd acted the night of Ven's party. It was just as bad when she saw Ven himself, who wasn't talking to her either.

_Ugh, why? _Namine buried her head in her hands and let out a stressed gasp. _Why the hell did I act like that?_

_**Flashback**_

_Namine took Ven by the hand and lead him into the kitchen, out of everyone's sight. He blushed intensely, confused by her actions, and even more so when he saw the way she fluttered her eyes at him. She smirked cutely at him as she faced him, taking his hand and pulling his body slightly closer to hers. _

_"W-What are you doing?" Ven stuttered, taking a wary step back. Namine only stepped closer to him and giggled._

"I just wanted a bit of time alone with you."

_"You're drunk." He dropped her hand from his. _

_"I want you." She admitted. _

_Ven felt incredibly awkward. "Listen, Namine, you're a beautiful girl. But you have a boyfriend, remember?"_

_"Just forget about him." She slurred, taking a swift kiss from his lips. Shocked, Ven kissed her back for a moment before lightly pushing her away._

_"What's gotten into you?" He practically spat, before running out of the room. _

_**End**_

Namine was not proud of her actions at all. She couldn't even justify them either- She wasn't really into Ven, was she? Sure he was cute, but so was Roxas. They looked alike. She tried to rationalize that in her head, like perhaps because she was upset with Roxas, she went to Ven for comfort... She didn't even understand what her drunk mind was thinking when it happened. But Roxas did nothing to deserve that.

Simply put, Namine was terrified. She had just made things right with Roxas only to go fuck them up all over again... _Real good going, Namine._

* * *

Roxas hadn't even been at school for three days. He was too depressed, and every time he managed to get himself out of bed and into school, he would see her and all of those feelings of betrayal returned.

_Honestly, how could she do that to me? What does he have that I don't? _These thoughts oftened crossed his mind, making him feel very insecure. Roxas was told by everyone how much him and Ven looked alike, so why would the girl who is supposed to love HIM, go after Ven instead? He didn't know what to make of it at all.

He hated seeing her sitting alone from across the cafeteria. Everyone was mad at her, and even though she deserved it, Roxas still felt bad. He did love her, after all. Seeing her upset hurt him. It was so difficult to ignore the text messages she sent every day.

"You know, Roxas..." Kairi began, poking him in the shoulder. He had been zoned out for the past five minutes, staring at Namine. He snapped out of his trance and turned his attention to the red-head.

"What?"

"You can't run away from her forever." She said. "Maybe you should go talk to her."

"Right now?" He gaped. "No way..."

"I agree with Kairi." Sora said. "Just get it over with man. If you want to break up with her then do it, ignoring her isn't going to make things better."

Roxas let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't do it. I can't face her. Every time I look at her I feel a huge clusterfuck of emotions."

Sora chuckled. "Ha, clusterfuck."

"Seriously." Roxas pouted. "I don't even know what I'd say to her. I'm really pissed off at her, at the same time I'm really hurt about it too."

"I never would have guessed Namine to be one to cheat..." Kairi mused. "I've known her for so long, she's just not like that."

"I know she's not." Roxas said. "She's just changed so much lately. I can't believe she would go and cheat on me after what Seifer did to her, and how hurt she was from that."

"I hate cheating!" Kairi exclaimed. "Like I would never cheat on anyone... I think that if there's a problem in the relationship then maybe you should just break up, not cheat. That doesn't solve anything, and it must be very painful."

"Yeah, it is." Sora commented. "I would never ever cheat on you, Kai." He kissed her cheek and she giggled. "Even if it was just Selphie, it sucked to find out she cheated on me. It's just that feeling of betrayal, you know?"

"Trust me, I know how you feel..." Roxas sighed. "How did you deal with it, Sora?"

He chuckled with good nature. "Honestly? I told her off and broke up with her."

Roxas' face turned into a twisted frown. "But..." _Shit. _He thought, swallowing the lump in his throat. He felt like he could cry. "Can we just change the subject? I really don't want to talk about her any more."

"Yeah, sure." Kairi said. "Let's just go outside or something so we aren't around her."

"Thanks..."

* * *

Vanitas exited the doors and smirked upon seeing her. She stood as she always did, laughing and smoking at the pit with Axel and Demynx. As usual, Vanitas approached her.

"Hey, Xion." He said, and she averted his gaze.

"Hey."

Vanitas nodded to the others as well, who happily returned it, unlike the dark haired girl. "What's up?" He asked them.

"Oh nothin' just hanging out." Axel said, slouching with his hands in the pockets of his coat. It was winter now, and snow covered the ground, much to the dismay of everyone. "Wish it wasn't so cold."

"Yeah same here." Xion peeped, adjusting the red pom-pom hat she wore.

"Yeah I just wanna head to the forest, but it's freezing!" Demnyx shivered.

"We should just go inside once we're done smoking." Xion said, and they nodded in agreement. The three of them finished smoking, and Xion felt very awkward noticing that Vanitas was not yet done his. She didn't really want to be around him, so she casually signalled for them to leave without him, but Axel evidently didn't catch on.

"Hey Xi wait up, Vanitas is still smoking!"

"Oh, crap." Xion laughed awkwardly. "Sorry Vanitas."

"That's okay." He said, flicking it on the ground. "I'm fine now anyway, let's go in."

Mentally, Xion groaned.

* * *

Namine didn't have it in her to sit in class, she was way too anxious. It wasn't like her to skip, but she figured that just one class would be alright, and she decided to spend it in the library. She sat at an isolated table near the back, tapping her pencil on her paper. She wanted to draw something to keep her mind off Roxas, but so far it wasn't working.

She heard a chilling familiar laugh as she looked up to see Roxas entering the library, followed by Kairi. Namine's heart instantly jumped and she shoved her headphones in her ears, pretending not to see them. She kept her eyes glued on her phone and pretended to be texting or something. She did this for about five minutes, before she noticed someone's hand was placed on the table before her. Shocked, she looked up, not expecting to meet the cerulean eyes of her 'boyfriend'.

"R-Roxas?" She stammered, face flushing instantly.

"Hey." He said, trying to keep eye contact. "Do you think I could meet up with you after school?"

She nodded weakly. "Of course."

"Okay." He grinned forcefully. "I'll just meet you out front, if that's okay."

"Yeah, sure." Her voice was quiet and shaky. "I'll see you then."

"See you."

* * *

Vanitas was quick to catch up to Xion after class, even though she didn't want to talk. She had tried to escape fifth period and smoothly as possible and get on her way home, but the black haired guy found her just as she was leaving the doors.

"Hey, Xion wait up!" He callled, and she sighed, turning to face him.

"Hey, Vanitas."

"What are you doing today? I was wondering if you maybe wanted to stop by my place and hang out for a bit."

Xion wanted to roll her eyes, but she didn't want to be rude. Vanitas had asked her to hang out multiple times and she was never quick to say yes. She had been over there a few times on the weekends since the party, but Axel and the others always came. No one ever went over there during the week other than Ven, and Xion really didn't want to spend time alone with Vanitas. "Sorry, I have to help my mom with a few things tonight." She lied.

Vanitas pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come on, you never want to hang out with me."

She chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe this weekend, okay?"

"Alright, fine." Vanitas said, before his eyes focused in on something behind Xion. "Hey look, isn't that Roxas and Namine?"

Xion turned her head around quickly and nodded. "Yeah, wow. They're actually talking." The two blondes walked awkwardly beside each other towards the left side of the school where the basketball courts were. Vanitas wore a devious smile on his face.

"Let's go eavesdrop." He snickered.

"No way!" She exclaimed, but Vanitas grabbed onto her hand and dragged her towards them. Naturally, she felt very awkward touching his hand, but was thankful she at least had mittens on to block the skin-on-skin contact. When they came to a halt, Xion angrily threw his hand away from hers. "What the hell was that for?" She questioned.

"Come on, I know you're curious." Vanitas laughed.

"No way, that is so immature. I'm not eavesdropping on them."

Vanitas ignored her and poked his head around the corner, only to see the couple standing there facing each other. "Look." He whispered.

Hesitantly, Xion gave in and peeped around the corner. Sure enough, there they were.

"Namine, listen..." Roxas began. Neither of them were making eye contact, but were looking at their feet.

"Roxas I'm so sorry!" Namine exploded into tears, latching herself on to him. Roxas hesitated, but gave her a light hug back before stepping away from her.

"I'm sorry too." He said. "But... I just can't do this."

The look in Namine's eyes scarred him. "I'm sorry." She whined. "I don't know what I was thinking. I-I love..." She began hyperventilating and Roxas lightly touched her arm.

"Calm down..." He spoke softly, and waited a few moments for her to relax before speaking again. "This really sucks Nam, but it will be worse for me to stay in a relationship with someone I can't trust... This is the second time you've lied to me about something, and nothing could have hurt more than to hear from Sora that you actually..."

"I didn't mean to. Nothing would have happened."

"If Ven wasn't such a nice guy, then something definitely would have happened." Irritation began to lace Roxas' voice. "What if Ven was the type to sleep with random girls whether they have boyfriends or not? How can you honestly say that nothing would have happened? Here you are, lying to me again."

"No, I didn't mean to..." She continued to sob. "I-I love you... I would never do anything like that again..."

"How do I know that? I never thought it would ever happen to begin with... And so easily, too. You've changed so much Namine, I don't even know..." He paused, swallowing what felt like a ping pong ball lodged in his throat. "I don't even know if I love you anymore."

Namine's face fell completely. "But Roxas-"

"No, the Namine I fell in love with so many years ago would never cheat... You didn't even cheat on Seifer! So why me?"

"I don't know, I haven't been feeling myself lately..."

"Yeah, I can tell." Roxas retorted. He wasn't even trying to be nice any more, he was too upset with her. "Whatever, I'm leaving. I'm sorry Namine. Maybe when you get your priorities straight, we can be together again." With that, he turned to leave.

"Roxas please wait!" She practically screeched, tears drenching her cheeks. But he didn't stop, he just kept going. After a few moments, Namine turned and ran away.

After the scene had unfolded, Xion and Vanitas looked at each other.

"Um, wow." Xion said.

"Yeah, holy shit. That was dramatic."

"Their entire relationship has been dramatic." She commented, pressing her back against the wall. "I feel bad for listening though."

"Yeah, I thought you said it was immature?" Vanitas smirked as he faced her, getting a little too close for comfort. Xion pressed her back further into the wall.

"Umm, well it was!" She quickly ran away from the wall and faced him again. "I gotta go, though, my mom really needs me!" She waved as she paced away from him. "See ya later, Vanitas!"

He smiled after her and waved. "Bye."

* * *

Namine collapsed into tears as she fell onto her bed and instantly called Kairi.

"Hello?" Kairi said, and only heard the familiar cry of her best friend.

"He hates me!" Namine cried. Kairi sat down, prepared to listen.

"He doesn't hate you, Nam." She reassured. "But you have to understand why he's so mad."

"Of course I understand, I'm a total fuck up. But I love him. Is he going to hate me forever?"

"He doesn't hate you." She said again, more sternly this time. "Just think of this as a break, Namine. Do you really think Roxas wants you out of his life forever?"

"He told me that he wasn't sure if he still loved me..."

Kairi was silent for a moment, and thought _did Roxas really say that? _She gulped, thinking of a way to help her friend cope. "Of course he still loves you, he's just mad. Think about how you would feel if Roxas did that to you. You'd probably break up with him as well, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, I probably would..."

"It's going to be hard for him to ever trust you again, but maybe you can earn him back if you really try. Spend the next while focusing on yourself and school... And whatever you do, don't hook up with anyone... Prove to Roxas that you don't want anyone but him."

Namine sniffled, trying to stop her tears. "Thanks, Kairi."

"No problem... I'll hang out with you at lunch tomorrow, okay?"

She smiled a little. "That'd be awesome..."

"Well I gotta go Nam, Amaya is crying. See you tomorrow. I hope you feel better."

"Thanks Kai, see you later." She hung up the phone and carelessly threw it on her bed, rolling over to face her wall. She had a collage of pictures that she hadn't really changed over the years; she even had some pictures of Selphie still up there. Of course, she pasted over all the ones of Seifer with ones of her and Roxas.

Generally, Namine hated to think about Seifer. Now when he crossed her mind, all she could think about was the cold murderer who hit her and killed her friend. But just for a minute, she decided to think back on the way Seifer was before that. He was always abusive towards her even before it became physical, but even still, when she found out about him cheating, it hurt. She was betrayed on both sides- By him, and by her best friend at the time, Selphie. She imagined that was how Roxas felt.

More tears flowed down her face. _I've hurt Roxas so many times, and he doesn't deserve any of it. I deserve to be alone._

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, thanks for reviewing! Sorry this chapter is late. I feel like I'm doing really shitty on this story, but I'm trying! Bare with me!

Please review!


	12. Vanitas:Then Again, Maybe You Were Right

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

I spoke too soon, it seems, for you made a home in my dreams

While I slept you kept running yourself through my head,

Like, "I won't be dead yet."

I said, "You don't understand. We had no control. They stole it; love's been so unfair to me."

"But see, that's my point. You must move on."

Then felt her ghost move in me.

I heard her voice call out my name but this time it faded out away.

* * *

December 8th

* * *

Vanitas lay in his bed, staring into his phone, contemplating the application he had opened. He had just downloaded an app for his iPhone that would enable him to block Fuu's number for good, so she could no longer contact him.

As much as he wanted to, at the same time, he was hesitant. He was somehow afraid too, even though he was starting to get used to the idea of them not being together. He let out a heavy sigh, and put her number into it.

"There. Blocked." He muttered to himself before tossing the phone on the ground. He then heard a knock at the door. "What?" Ven poked his head in.

"Hey, the guys are here."

Vanitas instantly swung out of bed. He had invited Axel and them over for a few beers since it was friday. He was really hoping Xion would show up... She was always so hesitant. He couldn't help but ask her to hangout though, because every time she was around, he seemed to completely forget about Fuu all together. He frowned when he walked out and saw that it was only Axel, Demynx, Terra and Aqua. Disappointed, he shrugged it off and took a seat next to Axel. It served as no surprise that Xion didn't show up. She usually didn't.

* * *

Namine didn't know what to do with herself. She sat at home, trying to draw something creative, but couldn't think of anything to draw other than eyes. She asked Kairi to hangout, but her and Sora were staying in with the baby.

Oddly enough, she received a text message from somebody unexpected the other day. It was from Xion. She asked how she was doing, and Namine told her what happened with her and Roxas. It was strange how they could talk as if they were best friends after such little communication over the past while. Namine mused for a second, recalling how Xion did mention that she'd like to hangout friday.

Namine decided to text her and see what she was up to. After a few minutes, she answered; "I think I'm going over to Vanitas'... That's where Axel and them are. Wanna come?"

Namine gulped. She didn't really want to see Ven at all, and actually felt like she wouldn't be welcome there. She wouldn't mind going to hangout, though, if Ven was okay with it. "I'd like that, but I feel kinda awkward going with Ven there. I doubt he wants me over. Think you could ask for me?"

"Ven isn't going to be in town tonight, he's going to visit his family in Twilight Town."

"Oh perfect :) sure, I'll come then."

* * *

The two girls met up around eight, both of them bundled up in all their winter gear. Of course, they were both still freezing. Shrugging it off, they chatted as they walked on their way to Vanitas'.

"So, I have to ask, what made you decide to text me?" Namine inquired.

Xion laughed a little. "I dunno... I've isolated myself from you guys for a while. I suppose I missed you."

"I missed you too!" The blonde exclaimed. "So much. But I didn't want to interfere with you and pester you about anything... I know you're still having a really hard time."

Xion shrugged. "Meh, I've gotten better. It's easy to hang out with Axel and them because they're very rambunctious and keep my mind off heavy things... It was getting kinda hard hanging around you, Roxas, Sora and Kairi. I felt like the fifth wheel, you know?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry Xion. I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

"It's not your fault at all! I feel really bad for not talking to Kairi, either."

"No worries... Kairi is very understanding. She isn't mad at you. Whenever you're ready, she'll be your friend again."

She smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

They walked in silence for a moment, before the blonde sighed. "I hope tonight isn't awkward."

"It won't be, I promise. Axel and his band are all totally nuts and it's almost impossible to be depressed around them. That's why I like them so much."

"What about Vanitas?"

Xion's face instantly flushed thinking about him. "Umm. He's cool too."

Thankfully, Namine didn't seem to notice the look on her face. "Well that's good! Kairi and Sora said he was pretty scary, but he doesn't seem all that bad to me."

"He's just different, that's all."

* * *

When Vanitas heard a knock at his door, he almost smiled. Xion entered only a moment later with her friend Namine following. He was more than happy to welcome them in.

"Hey, so you came." He grinned to Xion, who blushed and looked away.

"Uh, yeah." She muttered, grabbing a seat near Demynx. Namine sat down beside her, giving the room an awkward 'hey'.

The group chatted for a while before the alcohol delivery guy showed up. Of course Axel, Demynx and Terra were always prepared; they had already preordered two 24s of beer. Xion rolled her eyes as she noticed how much beer they got, _typical guys._

"Jeez, that's a lot of beer..." Namine commented quietly.

"Yeah, they always do this." Xion said. "They always want everyone to drink so they buy more than they can handle."

"I don't think I should drink tonight."

"You don't have to, I'll tell them to leave you alone if you start feeling pressured."

"Alright..." Namine gulped, feeling a little uncertain. Alcohol was the source of her current problem, the last thing she needed was another drunken mistake.

* * *

Vanitas couldn't help but stare at Xion more blatantly after he had a few drinks in him. She was across the room, unfortunately, but he knew that soon enough, either Namine or Demnyx would move, and he would sweep in. She looked too pretty, with her short black hair now growing longer to reach just over her shoulders, and light eyeliner framing her big blue eyes.

She caught him staring at her more than once.

She always looked away and pretended not to notice, but she definitely did. She could practically feel his eyes burning into her. Eventually, everyone wanted to go outside for a cigarette, herself included. Xion offered for Namine to come, but she decided to just stay inside with Aqua and Terra, who also didn't smoke. Terra had just recently quit, so it was impressive that he didn't show any signs of tempation while drinking.

Axel and Demynx were already drunk and acting retarded, while Xion and Vanitas were able to keep their cool, despite being a little drunk. Xion awkwardly sipped on her beer while smoking, putting no input into the conversation they were having.

"No I'm telling you man, this girl was way too hot." Demnyx enthused, and Axel rolled his eyes.

"No way, dude. She looked like a lesbian." The red head chortled, as did Vanitas.

"Whatever man, you obviously have crappy taste in women!"

"She had some sort of weird dyke spike, what is hot about that?"

"She looked different because of it, unlike most of the chicks at our school. I dig that."

"She's obviously into girls, man, you have no chance!"

The two of them continued to go at it. Vanitas simple chuckled and turned to Xion, tuning them out.

"So how's your night?" He asked her.

"It's not bad," She answered quietly.

"Your friend doesn't really seem like she's having a good time."

Xion glanced in to see Namine looking rather skittish. She instantly felt bad, and took this as an opportunity to walk away from the conversation. "Yeah, you're right. I should go keep her company." She flicked her cigarette over the balcony and moved inside before he could object.

* * *

Later in the night, Xion was considerably drunk. It was around 2 am, and Namine had already headed home. Xion was proud that Namine was actually able to avoid drinking, which wasn't something she herself was very good at. Terra and Aqua left, leaving just Xion, Axel, Demnyx and Vanitas.

This was usually the part in the night where Xion stopped avoiding Vanitas, and was really having a good time. She opened herself up more to conversation with him, which he approved of. Vanitas generally liked Xion when she was drunk for that reason, although sometimes she did get very depressed.

Thankfully, tonight wasn't one of those nights. She was laughing and talking with everyone; he liked to see her that way. Eventually, though, Axel decided that he was going to head out too, which she assumed meant Demynx as well. Xion, though intoxicated, was smart enough to realize that she was too drunk. But she'd already convinced them to stay longer then they wanted to, and they probably were no longer willing. Axel wasn't exactly the chivalrous type when it came to her, anyway... To him, she was just one of the boys.

"I'm sorry Xion, I'm passing out man." Axel slurred, stumbling towards the door. "If I don't get home soon, my mom is gunna trip hard on me."

"I'll be ready soon..." Xion murmered.

"I'll stay with you, Xion." Demnyx drunkenly smiled. "Is it cool if I crash on the couch, Van? I don't think Xion is in any state to be walking home any time soon."

"Yeah no problem, you're all welcome to stay." Vanitas sent a smirk towards Xion, who acted as if she was too drunk to notice. She wasn't.

"I would, but I'm supposed to help my mom move some shit in the morning and she'll freak if I'm not there." Axel said, opening the door. "Wish me luck on the journey home guys, don't get too freaky without me." He chuckled before slamming the door behind him.

"Thanks for staying, Demnyx. I'm glad you're at least kind of a gentleman." Xion joked, before noticing that Demnyx was fast fucking asleep. He was even snoring a little! She wanted to punch him and wake him up, but due to high levels of drunken awkwardness in the air, she stopped herself. They sat in silence for a minute or two, before Vanitas got up and sat beside her.

"So, I wanted to ask you something." He smirked, instantly making her feel uneasy.

"What's that?"

He hesitated on his words and laughed a little, before quickly and unexpectedly stealing a kiss from her lips.

_Wait- What!?_ She thought, eyes bugging out of her head._ He... Kissed me!? Oh god, he's kissing me._ For a split second, she allowed him to, feeling antsy butterflies bounce in her stomach. His kiss was gentle, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it. But she would definitely, _definitely_ lie about it. Without another moments notice, she tore away from him and sprung to her feet.

"Um, um, I have to go." And suddenly, she wasn't too drunk to walk home any more.

* * *

**A/N: **Um yeah! Hope you guys like it, lol. Please drop a review :)


	13. Xion: Safer in the Forest

**Sitting . Under . Falling . Stars**

* * *

I've been watching a slow thaw come around.  
I've been waiting in the cold and hazy blue.  
I've been driving alone out to the edge of town.  
_I've been thinking too much of you._

Last snowfall left splinters, and some winters never end; neither wane nor wear.  
And sunshine is like lovers, and some summers just pretend; only warm the air.  
It's that I'm tired of the feeling here. It's too near to death, it's too jobless year-round.  
It's not the weather in the city or the highway moan.  
Not the streets or the buildings, neither wooden nor stone.  
Every reason to leave this place behind, why I should be alone,  
Are made of flesh and bone.

* * *

December 9th

* * *

Tears stained her pale cheeks as she clutched to the wheel, driving with no destination in mind. Her teeth were clenched, and occasionally, she would snarl and a few more tears would escape from her glassy eyes. Xion wasn't a fully licenced driver; she had her G1, which permitted her only to drive with someone who was a fully eligible driver. She didn't care.

It was 8:30 in the morning, and she had taken her moms car in a fit of frustration. She hardly slept after she walked home from Vanitas', and woke up hung over and pissed off. She couldn't tell if she was more mad at Vanitas for kissing her, or mad at herself for liking it.

She was reaching the edge of town, only one person in mind. She stopped thinking about Vanitas- she didn't care about him. There was only one person who she wanted to be with and that was Riku. She knew she couldn't have him.

She bit her lip until it bled, just as she was coming up to the highway. She really did not know where she was going. She was aware that she was being irrational, and how much trouble she'd get in if a cop pulled her over... But in the moment, she wasn't too worried about it. She drove for another half hour before she reached a public trail that was basically in the middle of no where; there was a small gravel patch for parking, and a green sign that pointed towards a boardwalk that lead into the forest. She decided that this would be a good place to stop.

* * *

Amaya cooed softly as Sora cradled her in his arms. He smiled warmly as her tiny hand wrapped around one of his fingers.

"You're so cute, but I do wish you'd let me sleep a little longer." He grinned, poking her in the nose. She looked confused.

"She's gotten bigger, hasn't she?" Kairi smiled, walking up behind him and gliding her hand across his shoulder.

"Yeah, and her hair is getting longer."

The couple grinned at each other, before looking down at their baby who was slowly but surely falling back asleep. Sora placed her in the crib, wishing that he could go back to sleep himself. But he had plans for the day; him and Kairi had a discussion about it, and they decided that it was definitely time for one of them to get a job. Of course, Sora was the one to take it. So he planned on going downtown that day and handing out resumes.

Once Amaya was asleep, they lay down on the bed beside each other and sighed, exhausted.

"She certainly knows how to tire me out, that's for sure." Kairi laughed. "I'm just thankful for your mom. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be able to get an education for a while."

"Yeah, she's really helping us out... I feel bad though, definitely need to get a job so she isn't the only thing supporting us financially."

"For sure." They dozed off into silence for a moment, zoning out on the ceiling. "You know, it's almost Christmas..." Kairi mused.

"I know. I can't believe it's been a full year since the last one... So much has changed." Sora took her hand into his. She smiled, watching his fingers dance with hers as he fiddled with them. He looked up and met her eyes, and with a cheesy grin said; "I love you."

She couldn't contain the beam that crossed her face, and the blush that tinged her cheeks. "I love you too."

* * *

Xion found a good spot at the edge of a cliff and sat on the bench, admiring the view that ourstretched her. She could see trees for miles, all with glistening snow that reflected the brilliant morning sky. It was painted with a pure blue, with nimbus clouds that passed by slowly. Looking at such a sight, one normally wouldn't be crying, but this was not Xion's case.

She missed him more than words could describe.

She thought that maybe she was starting to move on with life, hanging out with Axel and them all the time... Finally being able to laugh, smile, and genuinely mean it. But when Vanitas kissed her, all it did was remind her of all the painful memories.

She remembered every detail of his face; the way his face crinkled when he smiled, and how strange she always thought his eyes were. They were kind of like the color of the sky, only more beautiful. Most people would say that there was nothing more wonderful than the brilliant sky, but she could argue that.

Xion glanced down at her phone for the first time since she'd taken the car; five missed calls, six text messages. Five texts from her mom, one from Vanitas. She hesitated to read them, but she did anyway. Of course, all the calls were from her mom, who was freaking out. Her texts were all basically the same; _"Xion, get back here with my car right now, you have no idea how much trouble you are in!"_

And then Vanitas' simply read: _"Hey." _For whatever reason, she chose to answer him back with the same simple reply. Almost instantly, he replied: _"How are you?"_

"I'm fine," she wrote back. "why?"

_"Jeez, I was just asking." _When she didn't answer, he texted her back a few minutes later. _"So I didn't mean to come on to you like that last night, I kinda got carried away." _She didn't answer again. They both had iPhones, so she knew he was seeing that she read his messages. So of course, he answered again. _"Will you come over later or something so we can talk, maybe?"_

"I don't think I can do that." She said. "I have stuff to do today, I'm really busy. I'll see you later." With that, she locked her phone and threw it in her side-pack. She wasn't about to check it again, no matter who texted her. Releasing an exasperated sigh, she stood up, brushed a few snowflakes off her pants and headed back to the car.

* * *

December 23rd

* * *

It was now Christmas break, much to everyone's relief. They all needed a good break off school, that was certain.

Sora, Roxas and Vanitas sat in Vanitas' living room, while Kairi made cookies in the kitchen. The redhead wished that she had a female accomplise, such as Namine or Xion, but neither of them were really an option. According to Vanitas, Xion hated him for some supposedly unknown reason and refused to come over, whereas Namine wasn't allowed there for obviously reasons. So she baked on her own, not really minding it though. Kairi loved Christmas. Sora offered to help her, but she declined, due to the fact that Sora was a monster in the kitchen.

Roxas hadn't really been out in a while, other than to school. He didn't want to throw away the year like he did the one prior, so he made a concious effort to at least be on top of his work. He didn't feel like socializing too much, though. And in a weird way, he was almost afraid to leave his house, worried that he may run into Namine. She lived too close to him for comfort.

"I can't believe Christmas is so soon!" Sora grinned toothily. "It's going to be Amaya's first Christmas, eh Kai?"

"I know, I'm so excited!" Kairi chimed from the kitchen.

"What are you getting her?" Roxas inquired.

Sora laughed and scratched his head. "Well I wasn't really sure what to get a baby girl, so I got her a pink rattle thing. I think she'll like it."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Vanitas was zoned out on his phone the entire time, seemingly uninterested in conversation. The other three all wondered why he even invited them over, but they weren't complaining. They liked the place, it was nice and relaxing, and gave them all a place to go to get away from their parents and/or responsibilities. Typically, Axel, Demynx, Terra and Aqua would arrive sometime soon, along with Ven who was grocery shopping. Since it was so close to Christmas, they were having a small christmas party. According to Vanitas, it wasn't going to be a drunk fest, but it was safe to assume that Axel, Demnyx and Terra would still buy an excessive amount of beer.

Kairi was living on the edge a little and brought a bottle of red wine. Sora got himself a six pack of beer, while Roxas and Vanitas got themselves a twelve pack each. It was Christmas after all, so they all tried to rationalize in their heads that they had an excuse to drink.

Kairi walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies, which the guys instantly attacked. Even Vanitas got right in there. Kairi sat down next to Sora on the loveseat and kissed him on the cheek.

"So any word from Xion?" She asked Vanitas, who shrugged.

"I told you, she hates me. She's not coming."

"There has to be a reason." Roxas commented. "Xion wouldn't just hate you over nothing."

"I doubt she even does hate you." Kairi said matter-of-factly. "Xion is just emotional, that's part of the package."

"Whatever, I don't care." Vanitas sneered. "She won't even respond to my texts, so she can do whatever she wants." He went right back to staring at his phone. The others exchanged a glance that read _whatever._

Kairi then got a text message herself, and saw that it was from Namine. She instantly felt back; Namine probably had no idea of the plans tonight, and wanted to hangout. Kairi hadn't hung out with her all that much, because she was always with Sora, who wasn't too fond of the blonde girl at the moment, plus Amaya.

_"Hey Kai, what are you up to?" _Namine asked. _"If you're not busy, maybe we could hang out and make Christmas cookies at my place?"_

Kairi sighed, more guilt setting in. She wasn't about to lie to Namine about where she was, but she didn't want to make her friend feel even worse. _It's friggin Christmas. _She thought, flustered. _I should be able to spend it with everyone I care about..._

She then turned to Roxas. "Roxas, I think that we should invite Namine."

A look of shock crossed his face. "What? No way!"

"Yeah, no way!" Sora unintentionally mimicked.

"Why not? It's not fair, guys. I know what she did was shitty, but it's Christmas... You guys don't even have to look at her."

"That's so awkward though..." Roxas said. "What if she says something or me? Or to Ven? She might get all drunk and start hitting on him again. I wouldn't be able to handle that."

"I doubt that would happen, I'll just tell her to leave if she starts drinking or something." Kairi crossed her arms over her chest. "You couldn't set aside your differences and ignore each other for ONE night?"

"I have no problen ignoring her," he retorted. "it's her I'm worried about. I don't want to talk to her about anything even if its just the weather."

"I'll have a good talk with her about that, then. Come on Roxas, you're just making up excuses. Just let her come for one night."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, fine. Whatever then. Let her come."

"Just ignore her! Don't let it ruin your night. I just want everyone to come together and have a good time for the holidays. Hopefully Xion will show up too."

Roxas rolled his eyes once more and huffed, thinking _whatever, _though he knew that deep inside, a part of him wanted to see her too...

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**A/N: **How many people are actually still reading this? :P Please leave a review if you are, I'm growing so discouraged by the lack of comments xD especially because my last two stories were so popular.

Either way, I hope you're all enjoying the story whether you review or not :)

**Please review!**


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